You can download the August 2013 Mix right here.
Band: HUE
Genres: Punk / Rock / Math Rock / Emo / Shoegaze / Post-Hardcore / Screamo
Related artists: N/A.
Country: Tokyo, JAPAN
Years Active: ????-present
Song: "ちゃんとする"
Album: "Athelas Split"
Year: 2013
For fans of: Alta, Native, Ahleuchatistas, Via Fondo, Trachimbrod, Hella, The Advantage,
Dakota Dakota, Toe, and Lautrec, aka PROPER Screamo.
HUE is a Japanese band that I was introduced to by Ryan, formerly of Cease Upon The Capitol. He runs a sweet label/distro called Meat Cube and sent me the band's work on a burned disc - as he was out of stock. A truly awesome dude.
Anyways, HUE is pretty much unknown outside of Japan, but that will change soon, I'm sure. They play clean, jazzy rock not unlike Hella, Ahleuchatistas, Dakota Dakota and The Advantage. The music wavers between semi-fast indie-rock and slightly slower atmospheric plucking. A few more bands that crisscross these genres and sound similar to HUE are Toe, Alta, and Via Fondo - especially regarding the clean mathy riffing. Native also has a similar sound with their instrumentals and the gang vocals, too.
Okay, time to get to the negative part - the vocals. Man, this is tough because half of the time I dig the vocals. Unfortunately, the other half of the time I feel the need to attempt to plug my ears with long sharp knives. Simply put, sometimes they can't sing. Case in point, "ちゃんとする" has some of the most interesting and catchy instrumentals I've heard this year combined with some great vox up to and after the 2:25 mark - only to have the thing blow up in my face once the song hits 3:50.
Nontheless, this is a band worth checking out. If they can work out the key issues (ha!) regarding the vocals, the band will blow up in a big way. Or, at least, they should.
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DISCOGRAPHY
2012? I can't read Japanese - Toukunoniwasaki cdEP (buy here)
2013 - Athelas Split cdEP (buy here)
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(2012) HUE - "Agasa" (from 'Toukunoniwasaki' cd) AUDIO
(2012) HUE - "その話" (from 'Toukunoniwasaki' cd) LIVE VIDEO
(2012) HUE - "ちゃんとする" (from 'Hue / Athelas' split cd) LIVE VIDEO
Go to the band's American label -> MEAT CUBE
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