Humus ~ Mexico

Whispering Galleries (1999)

One primary characteristic of Humus that I picked up is that each successive album was more sophisticated than the last. Given the album covers, it almost seemed the band was evolving in a Darwinian state. And the cover here is astounding. While I wouldn't necessarily say Whispering Galleries has taken this to a new level of complexity (not even sure how they would do that honestly), I would say this is a nice sideways move for the band. The guitar trio arrangements are still dizzying complex, and Humus continues to possess that unique primo-era Sensations' Fix space rock vibe. Amongst the more standard Humus fare, there is an atmospheric/experimental keyboard piece, a female vocals number with some splendid electric blues guitar soloing, a modern interpretation of what seems like a Group 1850 improvisation, and an all-in 22 minute space rock number. A can't miss item for space rock aficionados.

Ownership:1999 W-Dabliu (LP). Gatefold.

5/14/17 (review)

Malleus Crease (1996)

Here is my favorite Humus album. Malleus Crease is, IMHO, one of the best albums from the 1990s. This album is an amazing mixture of psychedelic space rock and Canterbury style melodies. Humus could almost be considered the second generation of prime Sensations' Fix.

Here's some old notes from the 90s: "Right off the bat let me tell ya - this is the most progressive album of the Loch Ness / Humus / Frolic Froth cadre. The fringe of their experimental underground Krautrock sound. There is a strong Canterbury current running through that separates this from the others - organ-flute - hell, even melodies. But, of course, that always FUZZED out guitar keeps this in the familiar barrio. I was floored." I still am.

Ownership: 1997 W-Dabliu (LP). Gatefold with three posters. And one bonus track.; 1996 Smogless (CD) .

8/29/97 (review); 2/3/10

4 Degrees (1997)

4 Degrees is the follow-up to Malleus Crease. Humus is one of those bands that I really like, but there doesn't seem to be much support elsewhere to corroborate my views. They started as a rather primitive space rock group, and evolved into something highly complex, while never losing their fierce psychedelic edge. In the end, they combine two of my favorite styles: Space rock and Canterbury fusion. Like a meeting between Sensations Fix and National Health. 

4 Degrees is Humus' 4th and last widely available album. The album covers seem to indicate this to be a multi-year project demonstrating an evolution. They've gone from primitive at the beginning to alien-like on 4 Degrees. Here, the album features only two tracks, though the first one is broken into 24 small segments and jumps all over the place with a madness and fury of ideas. The second composition is the complete opposite, and is a rather static meditational piece.  It should be noted that the opener is considerably longer, which works well for my personal tastes. A very fine album showing a continued progression for the band - though I still prefer Malleus Crease overall.

Ownership: 1997 Smogless (CD)

1/15/10 (review); 2/2/21

1/15/10 (new entry)