With no regular line up and a musical line that would
be deemed suicidal by most record labels, HiM have,
in the space of seven years and a handful of albums,
established an interesting parallel between post-rock,
jazz fusion and Afro beat, often putting them on a collision
course. Intentionally blurring the boundaries between
genres.
Founded in 1995 by Douglas Scharin to fill in his spare
time between his various involvements in Codeine, Rex
and June Of ’44, HiM has seen an impressive amount
of people coming and going through the project’s
revolving doors, including members of Tortoise, June
Of ’44 and Ui. In 1999, with a partially stabilised
line-up for the first time since the project began,
HiM went on to record what is generally recognised as
their first major album, Our Point Of Departure,
followed by a U.S. and European tour a year later, and
the critically acclaimed New Features in 2001.
After putting his project on hold for a while to concentrate
on family life, Scharin has once again called upon his
many friends, some who have already been involved in
some ways with HiM, including Carlo Cennamo, Josh Larue,
Rob Mazurek or Fred Erskine, another ex-June Of ’44
band member. Counting contributions from no less than
seventeen different musicians, Many In High Places
Are Not Well sees Scharin’s project at its
most varied and accessible. Combining tribal percussions,
although rather more discreet than in the past, infectious
grooves and incontestable musical creativity, this album
also features for the first time some vocals, provided
by Christian Daustreme, both in English, on Slow
Slow Slow, and in French on the reggae-infused
Elope & Secede, together with reworked
guest vocals from Múm’s
Kristin Valtysdottir, providing HiM with an interesting
new dimension. The incredibly diverse range of textures
and ambiences on offer here invite the listener to savour
each element within its own context. From the insistent
bass, forming part of the backbone of Elementals,
which opens the album, and the late night jazz soul
of The Way The Trees Are or Perspective
From A Slow Spin to the African tones and shades
of Many In High Places, Elope & Secede
and Coming Of Age, the focus is definitely
set on the interaction between the band members and
on the particular touch brought by each one of them
to the final body of work.
More subtle and restrained than previous releases, HiM’s
new opus is nevertheless a vibrant expression of rich
musical tones, from horns to percussions, combined with
adventurous, yet pertinent, melodies. With Many
In High Places Are Not Well, Doug Scharin returns
in style.
4.8/5 |
