Live: HHR at Spike Hill 9.14.12

JS-NYC has been pleased to enjoy a lot of the Aqualamb roster personally and professionally over the last year, but had yet to see Human Highlight Reel (aka HHR) tread the boards in town. The instrumental post-rock thing is a slippery slope for me, especially in 2012, but HHR do it properly and more importantly, without disappearing up their own ass. Add an 8pm start time to the proceedings and I'm there with bells on.

Four pieces, two guitars/drum/bass are the lineup, with the added benefit of vintage sports footage looped behind and the sagacity of America's Bass PlayerTM Mr. Jonathan Swafford. A little bit Chicago, a little bit DC, the foursome are good with the guitar interplay. The rhythm section doesn't fuck around either. Buy the book, see the live show, check out their debut EP Taking Drugs To Make Music To Sell Cars To. HHR web presence can be found here.

R

Human Highlight Reel - Taking Drugs to Make Music to Sell Cars to

JS-NYC has been spinning a lot of the Aqualamb roster around the HQ of late and Human Highlight Reel have been topping the playlists with their aces instrumental post rock. Think Russian Circles or perhaps a more metal Seam purveying the rock via the conventional rock line-up of two guitars/bass/drums, but without the burden of vocals cluttering up the proceedings.

Taking Drugs to Make Music to Sell Cars to is four songs, comprising what I believe is their debutante release. I'll earmark Inaswinger! as the top track, but all four get high marks for their adherence to dynamics and obvious arrangement sense. There is an exceedingly visual aspect to the HHR tracks that definitely seems to beg for soundtrack placement. In the interim, in keeping with Aqualamb aesthetic, Taking Drugs to Make Music to Sell Cars to is available in a snazzy art book of sorts as pictured to the upper left. Whether you opt for tangibility or just digital satisfaction, the post rock stylings of Human Highlight Reel live up to the Atlantic Hawk that is their namesake. Here's hoping they have the same career run.

Get Taking Drugs to Make Music to Sell Cars to at the Human Highlight Reel bandcamp here and use this link to keep track of their live goings on (like the upcoming 6.1 show at The Gutter JS-NYC intends to be all up in) at their web presence.

R