Funnel Cloud

Hem

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 5, 2006)
• Original Release Date: September 5, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nettwerk Records
• ASIN: B000H7JD3Q
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,388 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It might sound like a backhanded compliment to say Hem makes lite-rock with a country twist. But before you conjure up images of Phil Collins with a cowboy hat, let's clarify by saying the New York band essentially picks up where the Cowboy Junkies left off--crafting intimate southern songs that unfold with quiet dignity over a bed of strings, pedal-steel guitars and restrained piano flourishes. That's more like it. Besides, in Sally Ellyson, the group has a singer whose clear, sweet voice can't help but make even the most overcast song sound oddly beautiful. If only "I'll Dream Of You Tonight" and "Too Late To Turn Back Now" could be the soundtrack to every waiting room people would actually look forward to that next root canal. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe Hem's best yet -- and that's saying something, September 16, 2006

By	Christopher Condon "Fuzzyman" (Shelton, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hem's last full album of new songs, Eveningland, was hauntingly beautful but suffered from overproduction. It was if all the engery was bottled up and they didn't want to let it out.

Not so here. Funnel Cloud sparkles with both beauty and energy. Even the slower songs like the title track tremble with an energy evocotive of their live performances. Meanwhile, the beautiful melodies keep on coming -- He Came to Meet Me and Reservior may be two of their best songs, ever.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A quietly beautiful, intelligent pop/country album, September 8, 2006

By	John Matlock (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you've heard any of their previous releases, you know that Hem doesn't make loud, brash music. This release continues their previous albums' quietly elegant tone. They wisely cut back on the string sections this time around. The songwriters put a lot of thought into each of the songs and Sally Ellyson is the perfect voice for them.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Music, October 2, 2006

By	Laura Nicholson (Southern Indiana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I heard about Hem on NPR, and bought Funnel Cloud soon after. I'd never heard them before. I love this CD and am happy to find a new group to listen to. "The Pills Stopped Working" is my favorite song. The other songs are soft, mellow, beautifully written. The music is rich and complex. I look forward to hearing more of Hem.