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Howard Hello

Kenseth Thibideau and Marty Anderson are Howard Hello, and on this,their debut on Temporary Residence, the announce themselves far moreeffectively than the name might imply. Given that Thibideau's previouswork was with Tarentel, you could expect that the record would havesome similar elements, and that it would be a strong, gorgeous release.That it is. The soundscape is mainly familiar-sounding melodies thathave been recorded, then edited, jumbled, and extrapolated to make newcompositions on top of the old structure. There are guitar melodies,organs, keyboards: instruments of all types are used. The compositionsthat are created are very ambient, full, and spellbinding. And MartyAnderson's voice is purely haunting, adding a fantastic element to theproceedings. The ambient vocals by Wendy Allen are also stunning, and,at times, the vocals are the only part you can clearly follow, as theyare the main element, saved from being cut-up and reproduced. Theamazing thing is, even though elements are repeated - Anderson's vocalon 'Revolution,' melodies - the music never sounds repetitive or stale.It gets into your head, burrowing way down deep. This is a dynamicsound, with elements being added as the song progresses, allowing it togrow, swell, climax, and then fade away, leaving you with the scars.And there will be after you've heard this, believe me. An excellentdebut, well deserving of your hard-earned cash. Your ears have beenwaiting for something like this again.

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