Various Hands - Hypoluxo

Various Hands

Hypoluxo
self-released; 2014

3.6 out  of 5

By Ethan Skelton

I immediately responded to the album cover with high appreciation. From such art I see the possibility of some creative and provoking music. I can’t help but make a connection between the visual and aural aspects of an album because those are the senses that carry the most weight in such matters and therefore should share very similar levels of perfection. 

With those footnotes out of the way, I can’t say I was completely satisfied with Hypoluxo's sound. It’s part ‘90s alternative, part modern new wave, part loose rock – a concoction that takes a lot of work to make effective. The key ingredient I missed was the lack of strong electronic melody or even chord support. Dance rock needs a club sound more so than the ‘80s campiness of quick hats and bop bass prodding. There are definitely moments where it’s time to get down, but that image is accompanied with the expression of a B-52’s video and it’s just off-putting.

Following the initial efforts of “Memphis Decisions (Be Cool) and “R.M.A” I was still waiting for that track that hit from the start and kept hitting. This came in the form of “Lipstick” and “The Perils of Time Travel.” There’s great energy in “Lipstick” and the chorus mounts it all with an anthem unheard of anywhere else on the album. 

On “The Perils of Time Travel” the drums highlight a recurring triad that skips along while the guitars give berth to pillars of echoing chords. This track was even better on the second listen; all the parts became stronger individually and set up bigger moments. The intro and outro were borrowed from each other to make a full circle feeling that is the perfect ending to a standout track. 

As a whole, Hypoluxo might not sound relevant but they’re on the verge. I know there’s enough originality in this group to fill a studio twice over so keep an eye out.

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