The Sound Of Hush - The Sound Of Hush
Danes get all folkrocky.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see The Sound of Hush as a soundtrack for a Hugh Grant rom com. Believe it or not, this is no criticism. Maybe the Danish duo’s self-titled UK debut album should actually be called ‘The Sound of Love’. Littered throughout the album are documents of loves' highs and lows, agonies and ecstasies.
The songs present here conjure up images of Grant (or whoever the latest King of the Simple Rom-Com is these days) bumbling their declaration of love to the latest object of their affections. From describing loving someone despite their flaws, such as on ‘Imperfect’, or tales of blissful hope in ‘Champs Elysees’ to the saying goodbye on lead-single ‘For All The Right Reasons’, there are montages-a-plenty which would be perfectly complimented by this record. Despite describing what's often the difficult side of love, ‘For All…’ still manages to sound upbeat without once wallowing in self-pity, despite the melancholy vibe. It's one of the albums standout tracks.
It's testament to vocalist Dorthe Gerlach and guitarist Michael Hartmann that these songs don't come across so sugar-coated that they induce a diabetic coma like many pop acts who tackle these subjects. Gerlach’s voice has more than a touch of Dolly Parton about it which compliments Hartmann’s subtle country tones perfectly. Songs like ‘A Lifetime’ and ‘I Want To Believe’ are sung with a sense of realism and heartfelt intentions. A fine example, in ‘Life is Hell’ you can almost hear the broken heart hiding behind the delicate vocals.
The pair met whilst busking in their native Denmark and they've taken those performances into this album as many of the songs are stripped down to the twos greatest weapons; guitar and vocals. This means that the album owes more to their country influences than their poppier contemporaries.
‘Ease The Pain’ lifts the tempo, showing that they duo have more to offer than the slower ballads. It would be easy to overlook the often understated guitar on offer here but given the delicacy of the vocals it still manages to flourish when given the opportunity. It's just a shame that this isn't the case more often, as there is a certain similarities between the tracks that all threaten to run into one another.
Having already achieved success back in Denmark it remains to be seen whether their unique combination of blues, country and pop sensibilities translate to success here in the UK. However, 'The Sound of Hush' is a promising first step which may indeed strike the right chord.
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