Search - Venus Hum :: Hummingbirds

Blues of green "Hummingbirds"

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 01/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the most memorable trip-hop bands of recent years has been Venus Hum. It's catchy, it's sweet and it's immersed in strong electronica. The "Hummingbirds" EP pairs two songs from their full-length "Big Beautiful Sky" album with a pair of strong extra tracks.



It kicks off with the catchy "Hummingbirds," which swells up into a trippy soundscape. It's especially fun because of the whimsical songwriting ("Godiva Girl/Swimming in chocolate/Winged foil heart cardinals..."). Continuing that is "Alice," an exquisite slower song that puts Annette Strean's lovely vocals to good use.



Well, those are the songs from the album -- on to the EP-only songs. "Run Anne Run" is a fun song that sounds like whimsical dancepop. And finally there's "Illumine," which is mostly composed of catchy beats and languid stretches of spacey keyboard. It's nothing short of gorgeous.



"Hummingbirds" does more than showcase two good songs -- it also happens to show everything that Venus Hum can do, from clubby pop to exquisite electronica. At the end of it, it's hard not to want more from this band, which hasn't received a fraction of the attention they deserve.



Annette Strean belongs up with Hope Sandoval and Beth Gibbons as a trip-hop vocalist -- her singing is strong, sweet and able to swell as the music does. Speaking of which, Kip Kibin and Tony Miracle do amazing things with their synth and keyboard, producing trippy beats that would sound cold if they weren't so fun and playful.



A good introduction to Venus Hum is the "Hummingbirds" EP, with its mix of dancey trip-hop and lush ballads. Definitely worth getting."