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| The Human Value |
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Line-up: Turu: Vocals, Keys Hiram: Guitar, Bass, Vocals Lynnae Hitchcock: Drums "One of LA's hottest new bands, The Human Value have their roots in the dark synths of the 80's, combined with smouldering vocals and the attitude of the great bands of the era - The Banshees, Talking Heads, Blondie and The Ramones. But The Human Value are no retro band. They purvey a brand of pop/rock of the type delivered by PJ Harvey - dark, heavy and brooding, but at the same time sexual and sensual. And they're spearheading a new wave of exciting and spontaneous fuzzed out guitars, grinding rhythms and seductive vocals combined with underlying pop sensibilities."
-- Pete Whalley, getreadytorock.com
"... The band's sound is a splendid combination of gritty, buzzing, clanging guitar and Turu's world-weary, after-closing-time vocals. The rhythms are neatly convincing, rattling everything along like the last train home. It all hangs together ludicrously well, and the songs themselves are little things of beauty. The sound of The Human Value pitches up somewhere between PJ Harvey and The Faith Healers... But there's something in the way many of the songs here take off into spiralling, guitar-driven mantras, the way Turu sings a kind of keening blues, dragging her voice through gravel in the verses and then revving it all up as the chorus comes round, that recalls the outer fringes of British indie-dom... All of which doesn't mean that The Human Value are simply a vintage John Peel show distilled down into one band. They stamp their own identity very firmly onto their music. They have a certain jaundiced, world-weary persona, as if they've been buffeted by life but they're still defiantly standing."
-- NEMESIS UK Magazine, 5/06
 ¼ 2005:
The Human Value
 Released on Big Deal Records in North America in Sep 2005, and in the UK in Oct 2006. Tracklisting: 1. Give Me 2. You Want Him 3. Kill Pangs 4. Lonely Girl 5. Nashville #5 6. Tonight 7. Somebody 8. Parts Per Million 9. Won't Be Long 10. She 11. Liar 12. Complications 13. Springtime She Waits "The Human Value are Turu (vocals and keys), Hiram (guitar and vocals) and Lynnae Hitchcock (drums) who joined the band post the recording of the album. Together they sport eclectic backgrounds including Russian, Greek, Mexican, Irish and Cuban. Put that together on an album recorded in Nashville and completed in LA, and you get something truly original. The Human Value's sound is dark, dirty and seedy with Turu's vocals falling somewhere between Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde. In other words, this is a record with attitude. The opening track (and first single) Give Me sets the scene with a huge brooding beat of distortion like a swarm of wasps around your head, with haunting vocals that could have their roots in progressive rock (early Curved Air?) or punk. It's a compelling number, as is You Want Him, which is sultry, and possibly a better choice of chart material. Kill Pangs is a stunning number with breathy vocals and inventive use of violin, and another highlight is the almost delicate duet on Parts Per Million. But for the most part this album is a breath of fresh air, in a stale music scene. Commercial success? Who knows, but cult status beckons with certainty."
-- Pete Whalley, getreadytorock.com
"Sounding like a slightly harder version of Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Human Value come out swinging on their self-titled debut LP. The album has a persistently dark and gothic sound, but most of the tracks are genuinely catchy and well-produced. Guitarist Hiram, formerly of Kittens for Christian, does a good job of keeping things interesting with his propulsive fuzztone approach. And singer Turu's full-throated vocals lend a grand sweep to the proceedings. The record's been picking up some college airplay, but the opening track, Give Me, sounds like a ready-made alterna-radio hit just waiting to happen."
-- W.C. Moriarity, Creem Magazine
2007: Push and Pull Tracklisting: 1. Pleasant Town 2. Pretty Mouth 3. No Sacrifice 4. I Don't Care 5. Complications No. 2 6. Hold Of Me 7. Spite 8. Alibi 9. Parts 10. Nothing 11. Home Is Not Real 12. Deep Blue 13. Push And Pull UK Release date: Nov 5, 2007 US Release date: Dec 23, 2008 |
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