Mammal Hum - What's Behind Us Is Not Important
They began as three individuals who came together with different musical influences to form a band. When a forth was added, Mammal Hum was complete and What's Behind Us Is Not Important is the debut offering.
Disco Drumbo is the album opener and although it is fairly catchy with the repeated title line for the chorus, the words for the verses are practically spoken and at times spoken so fast they are hard to follow. Man On Fire is the longest track on the album at over five minutes and is varied in its musical sounds - from the odd electronic inserts to the indie vibes. The harmonies make it much more fulfilled and pleasing to hear.
Opening with a Beetles She Loves Me touch, Shallow Beep can't help but getting you tapping, a sound that is repeated at several points through the album. The Bingo Wing has a more rough and ready sound, with some whistling thrown in at times, while Bad Anita Barden adds a darker side to Mammal Hum and The Saddest Song In The World sounds as though it could have been recorded in a basement.
Sunday Express is the slow moving tune to the album, gentle tinkering and simple vocals. Little Hands adds to this sound with an intergalactic aspect, electric sounds and a slowness that doesn't fully go into warp drive until the end. While The Doctor is a stripped to the basics track, guitars and the occasional bump of a drum, with a few extra trimmings.
Among all the well placed tracks, each offering something new to the ears, there are some such as Buzz Buzz! Kill Kill!!, I Think We Should Go and even the concluding track Radiant Fabric, which simply put, seem to have been inserted to take up time.
With such a wide range of influences gone into this record, it is no wonder the tracks vary in sound so much. From upbeat poppy feels to indie vibes and some 60s and 70s influences become very noticeable. Weaving through these songs then is a range of instruments, glockenspiel and percussion among typical guitars and keys to kick some flavour into the fifteen tracks. Due to the albums many different directions in sound, different tracks will appeal to different people, but there is guaranteed to be at least one song that will appeal to everyone.