Hunz - Thoughts That Move

Hunz – Thoughts That Move
(Independent)
A record put out in twenty-eight days, far exceeds 10 years of output from 28 Days.

Hunz’s Thoughts That Move was constructed in twenty-eight days for the RPM challenge (a call-out to bands to partake in a sort-of Ready Steady Cook equivalent of record making… Ready Steady Rock!). Thoughts That Move comprises ten songs showcasing sparkly synths, glitchy beats and Hunz’s melancholy multi-tracked voice. The opener, ‘It’s So Light’, slaps me onto the dancefloor – denying expectations of an intimate exposure to Hunz’s inner sanctum, in favour for beats and bass. The driving beats continue with Soon, Soon – a popsong guaranteed to make the cool kids dance (and self-consciously interpretive dance in the breakdowns). Hunz has produced an album which glitters like a subdued ecstasy high. While I found the synth ornamentation a little over the top, and savoured the restraint of Enough to Make You Smile; Hunz could not have chosen a better title for this album… Thoughts That Move feels like experiencing the heady rhythm and ecstasy of the dancefloor through a filter of someone else’s thoughts. It doesn’t quite meet the expectations of a full album but given the time frame, Hunz promises treasures in the future.

Marnie Stern – This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That

Marnie Stern – This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That

Marnie Stern fell into my heart like a turbo-powered, diamond-encrusted jet spilling beams of multicoloured lights on my heart’s interior valves. Stern’s hyperactively titled second album marks her inauguration as not only a Guitar Goddess but a psychedelic pop princess wielding her powers (finger tapping and relentless high-pitched, multitracked vocals) for the good of the people. Propelled by Hella’s Zach Hill, Stern’s second album thrashes and writhes; echoing the free and absolute being of a Dionysian Ritual. This Is It… truly showcases Stern’s talent and eccentricity – it is perfectly structured, unabating, strong and absolutely feminine. I want to live here.