Audio By Carbonatix
Finally putting the high back in Hialeah, Humbert goes against the pop-rock grain on its new CD, Plant the Trees Closer Together. Not that Humbert has gone hard on us, but this five-piece adds the unexpected to its usual power-chord fare. Gloriously goofy, Plant the Trees¹ 11 songs approach modern pop from almost as many different angles. Humbert¹s love of ooo-ooo-ooh harmonies — the kind that¹ll one day comprise most of Weezer¹s Greatest Hits — is aggressively invested in ³You¹re the One.² But then comes ³The Ladybug and the Beetle,² fully orchestrated and almost wimpy. Humbert turns crunchy on ³Taste the Water² and ³Warped Tape.² Until, that is, ³Get Well Card² begins with a lo-fi dose of bedsitter acoustica. Strangest of all is ³Vuscalli (The Porcupine)² a polka-opera (polkopera?) that approximates a Russian circus bear dancing with a French maid. Even harder to pin down are the slightly psychedelic feedback and tape-loop tapestries that comprise ³Sir Winston² and ³I Get the Bellyhurts.² Due to Plant the Trees¹ diversity and experimental flair, its catchiness quotient is too inconsistent for parties held in gymnasiums. However, it has many other uses.
