To put it in NBA terms, Hum heavily favor the Sonics. These four Champaign, Illinois boys string effects pedals together like a charm bracelet, and their amp stack must resemble the mountain of crates in the closing shot of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Layers and layers of guitars swarm like hornets and harriers around your head, as the occasional intricate detail bursts out as if one buzzed right by your ear. A listen to Downward is Heavenward actually scrubs off a layer of skin, yet Hum still manage to infuse grace and control into their skyward swirl.

The songs tend to run 5+ minutes and the lyrics read like obtuse love poetry an aerospace engineering student writes on little notes to the cute girl in the back of the classroom. Despite these two burdens, Hum still suck the listener into the feedback- and- riff maw, creating their best output yet. The next few months could have these four geeky emo kids siamese dreaming of mainstream success.

-Brent DiCrescenzo