Downward Is Heavenward

Hum | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 27, 1998)
• Original Release Date: January 27, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000002X2I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,067 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Musical Geniuses IGNORED, January 13, 2006

By 

[e-mail] "Steve" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Downward Is Heavenward (Audio CD)

I have yet to find a reason why Hum is not more well known or popular (around Los Angeles at least). Sadly, Satan (the radio) mainly allowed only ONE track of Hum seep onto the radio waves and that song was "Stars" from their album "You'd Prefer An Astronaut". Any Hum fan could tell you that Stars was not their best song, maybe the catchiest, but not their most complex.

By first appearance the members don't look as intimidating as their music. Although love through a scientific microscope really isn't "intimidating" to many. Matt Talbott (vocalist) doesn't look like he could hurt a fly unless it slammed into his large bifocal lenses. The band itself doesn't resemble the cliché of "hardcore rock band". Maybe it has something to do with coming from Champagne, Illinois.

They push their instruments in all directions, from a hard ambient orchestra of grunge as in "Isle Of The Cheetah" or the tranquil yet distorted space rollercoaster of "Afternoon With The Axolotls", these 4 gentlemen could easily be mistaken for neo-grunge symphony composers. Though their intellectual aspect is seen not only through instruments but also through their lyrical sentiment. They combine love with science and astronomy and create a true uniqueness that defines Hum. I'm not going to sugar coat anymore explanatory definitions in reference to Hum, you can find an ultimate and passionate understanding here: [ http://www.h-u-m.net/bio/index.shtml ] (Oh and bookmark that site--it's amazing how much passion was devoted. Thanks Marijun!)

There may not be many fans out there, but I've noticed that the majority that are, are diehard. There has to be a reason for that impact. Maybe you should check it out and find out for yourself--then enlighten friends! After hearing an album, it shouldn't surprise you why 3/4 band members obtain their Master's Degrees. Yet, the only surprise that stands is the majority that are unaware of the brilliance that remains to echo here.

Maybe it's just that Hum is too deep for the common listener, whom prefers to swim comfortably at the surface rather than swim down into the unknown. After all, Downward is Heavenward. (Cheeeesy but true!)
-Steve

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm thinking of a number between everything and two, October 15, 2007

By 

UltraJoeBot (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Downward Is Heavenward (Audio CD)

Downward Is Heavenward is the fourth and final album from Champaign Illinois spacerockers Hum, released in 1998. Hum is perhaps best known for their signature "wall of sound" aesthetic, featuring two droning guitars, slowly crushing you beneath huge waves of layered distortion, while Matt Talbot's soft voice floats delicately above it all. The dual guitars perpetually build on one other's dissonance, shaping a sonic landscape of endless lingering suspensions that rarely resolve. Every sound on the album shimmers, from the epic wash of the cymbals to the background noise loops, meticulously generated from delay pedals and multi-effects processors.

Cryptic lyrics about space travel and time machines might serve to obscure the meaning, but underneath the sci-fi allegories and behind the intricately layered arrangements, lies a collection of 10 perfectly crafted love songs. In "Apollo," the most stripped-down song on the album, Talbot is at his most vulnerable, softly repeating "I'm thinking of a number between everything and two," while reverb-drenched guitars bounce off each other's echoes in the distance. The space between lines creates a tension that he refuses to release until the final chord of the song, when he adds "it's molecules of you," almost as an afterthought. Every single track on the album is similarly constructed for an intense and moving experience.

Historically, it seems heavily distorted guitars are often employed to distance oneself from the music, to prevent an emotional connection. Yet with Downward Is Heavenward, Hum is somehow able to achieve the opposite effect, their songs sincere and vulnerable, without resorting to visceral screams or high-pitched emo whining. The chemistry between the four musicians is unmistakable, each instrument complementing the others to create a succinct and coherent whole. If you're able to find the b-sides "Puppets" and "Aphids," I highly recommend burning all 12 songs on one CD for a solid 62 minutes of transcendent spacerock. Although I wish the band hadn't broken up 7 years ago, I'm grateful that we have yet to see a wave of imitators selling Hum knock-offs that serve only to cheapen the original, and I'm thankful that we will always have this album as a reminder of what truly great music is capable of achieving.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They're Beyond Everything...., June 20, 2004

By 

Paul H. "rmj84" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Downward Is Heavenward (Audio CD)

Hum is a band that can be embraced by both indie snobs and fans of more commercial rock, and for good reason. The songs are beyond compare, the lyrics are romantic in a highly intelligent, strange, and yet comforting manner. And of course, the riffs destroy just about everything in its path. Like the guitar haze of My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3, and Flying Saucer Attack? Check. Like the riffs of the Deftones, Failure, and The Smashing Pumpkins? Hum leave those guys in the dust. Downward Is Heavenward will perhaps remain one of the 90's most overlooked records, rather sadly. It takes the potential of You'd Prefer An Astronaut and completely follows through times ten. Whether underground or commercial sounds are more your speed, you'll definitely find something to like here.