Rock Archeologia

Peter Himmelman - The Mystery and the Hum (2010) 

Artist: Peter Himmelman
Album: The Mystery and the Hum
Ⓟ & © 2010 Himmansongs Recordincs
Catalog#: HIM 101
Released: September 14, 2010
Made in USA
Genre: Pop/Rock
Styles: Contemporary, Indie Rock
Format: FLAC (track+.cue+log)
Bitrate: lossless
Cover: JPG, 300 dpi (Full Digipack)
Duration: 00:46:40

• Peter Himmelman is one of the best guitarists and singer/songwriters to emerge from the American new wave scene of the early '80s. He's literate, acerbic, and prolific, qualities that have made other artists of the day like Paul Weller and the Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano household names. Despite his share of rave reviews, success in placing tunes on shows like Judging Amy and Bones, and work writing TV soundtrack music, he's remained under the radar of the mainstream press. The Mystery and the Hum probably won't change that, but anyone who likes finely crafted rock & roll played with passion and sung with deadly conviction will find much to like here. Seeking to capture the immediacy of a live gig, Himmelman wrote these 13 tracks in two weeks and recorded them in two days. Himmelman was joined in the studio by drummer Billy Thommes and bass player Jim Anton, both known for their work with bluesman Jonny Lang, and the result is another collection of tough, straight-from-the-heart blues-rock. As usual, Himmelman pulls no punches as he lays out his visions of life's darker moments. "Don't Give a Damn" is a country-tinged blues that takes a dim view of male-female relationships, with Himmelman telling a woman friend that "everybody loves you when you don't give a damn." Himmelman shows off his acoustic style on "Georgia Clay," a parched desolate blues that flirts with mortality, lost love, and limitation, while "Medicine" is a tough honky tonk tune with killer slide guitar work. The ambivalent lyric could be about any kind of drug, licit or illegal, that promises the relief it never delivers. Rockers like "Motel Room in Davenport," "This Lifeboat's on Fire" (which tips its hat to Dylan's "This Wheel's on Fire"), and "Sit Tight" showcase Himmelman's razor-sharp guitar playing along with a snarky outlook on life leavened by occasional flashes of stygian humor. - Review by j. poet

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 • Tracklist:

01. Motel Room in Davenport 03:57
02. Change My Channel 03:53
03. Good Luck Charm 03:22
04. Sit Tight 02:58
05. Raining Down from Satellite 05:11
06. Georgia Clay 03:32
07. Ever So Slightly 04:33
08. Don't Give a Damn 03:58
09. Medicine 02:39
10. Windshield Reflections 02:54
11. This Lifeboat's on Fire 02:59
12. The Heart of the Midnight Sun 03:46
13. Trembling in the Beams 02:58

     Engineer and Producer by Rob Genedak
     Photography by Jim Hershleder
     Layout, Typography by Steve Stanley
     Artwork by Peter Himmelman
     Mastering by Gavin Lurssen
     Mixing by Don Smith 

Personel:
Jim Anton - Bass
Jeff Babko - Fender Rhodes, Organ (Hammond)
Willie Aron, Yehuda Solomon - Vocals (Background)
Randy Casey, Dale Goulette, Kristin Mooney - Vocals (Background)
Eric Heywood - Pedal Steel
Peter Himmelman - Guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Billy Thomas, Billy Thommes - Drums

-----  ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ -----

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