Produced by David Newton of The Mighty Lemon Drops and released in October of 2009, the debut climbed independent radio top 100 charts. All the while, the band had already finished recording album number two.
After a tour of the west coast, The Hush Now went back into the studio and put the finishing touches on their sophomore effort, Constellations which hits radio in the US and UK in Feb 2010. Of the album’s first single, Hoping and Waiting, the UK Music Review writes, “a little Stone Roses, a dash of Guided By Voices, a smidgen of Flaming Lips and a dose of Yo La Tengo; one of those classic pop tunes that pop up from time to time and catch you pleasantly off guard. This is superior indie pop from a band well worth keeping a very close eye and ear on.”
Like their debut, ‘Constellations’ pounds along at a blistering, powerful pace, and gladly the invention and surprises are all still there. Among the many standouts, ‘Thorns’ successfully employs some U2-style delayed guitar rhythms before it’s controlled pressure cooker lets fly with a soaring atmospheric trumpet solo. This is their transient, festival-headlining moment it seems. “Haven’t you had enough already?” Noel Kelly chant’s as the brakes gently come on. “No” is the answer actually, as they then effortlessly dispense ‘All You’ve Said and Done’, all stop-start blunt rock riffs with a sheen of retro keyboard sounds and subtle horns teasing out every bit of feeling. (Americana UK)
“Shiver Me Starships,” is The Hush Now’s 3rd release in as many years. With the band’s line-up secured including Adam Quane (lead guitar), Barry Marino (drums), John Millar (keys), Pat MacDonald (Bass), and Noel Kelly (vocals/guitar), The Hush Now bunkered down to write and record in May and June in Boston, MA. Produced by The Hush Now and aided by the talents of Benny Grotto (mixing) and Jeff Lipton (mastering), “Shiver Me Starships,” is a powder-keg effort boasting soaring vocals over The Hush Now’s unique melancholy AM Gold groove that pulses behind curtains of melodic guitar. The band has not abandoned their sonic trademark but rather, have expanded and taken their sound to the next level. This is the work of a confident and mature band ready to make an impact.
The Hush Now are preparing for a tour of the US around SXSW this spring. And as Ian Fildes at Americana UK points out, “with album number three, amazingly, already in the pipeline The Hush Now are in danger of lapping the competition.”
Traditions
The Hush Now Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Droning hymns
At Sunday school
(Our Father, son and holy ghost)
Prostrate on
Orders culled
From ancient rule
(Don?t tell them where old hands may go)
Just sit down
And shut up and don?t think
?til we turn you on
Just sit down
And shut up and don?t speak
Cause there?s nothing wrong
Honor codes
Carved in stone
With blood and bone
(Lost on their Fields of friendly strife)
It?s not enough
To say you
Just don?t know
(How dare you come through it alive)
Now raise a
Picket fence
And settle down
(It?s time you found yourself a life)
You?re much too
Old to sit and
Play the clown
(You have no right to feel alive)
The Hush Now's song Traditions is a commentary on the social expectations and traditions that can feel suffocating and confining. The opening lines refer to years spent in Sunday school, droning hymns and being taught to recite prayers. The second line refers to orders that are culled from ancient rule and that seem outdated and irrelevant in contemporary times. The refrain that follows tells listeners to sit down, stop thinking and not speak, with the implication that doing so is an attempt to quell dissent and keep people from questioning the status quo.
The song also touches on the idea of honor codes, which are often seen as unchangeable tenets of a culture, but which may be built on a foundation of blood and bone. The line "Lost on their Fields of friendly strife" evokes a sense of tragedy and loss, perhaps alluding to the waste of war or the misguided sense of honor that can drive people to fight and die for causes that they do not fully understand.
Line by Line Meaning
Years spent on
We have spent a lot of time doing the same thing over and over again
Droning hymns
Singing the same religious songs with no emotion
At Sunday school
Every Sunday we come to school to learn about our religion
(Our Father, son and holy ghost)
We are only taught one religion, Christianity
Prostrate on
We've been taught to bow down and accept what we're told
Orders culled
We're only given instructions and told what to do
From ancient rule
These rules have been around for a long time and are outdated
(Don?t tell them where old hands may go)
We're not allowed to question what we are taught
Just sit down
We are taught to be passive and not take action
And shut up and don?t think
We're not allowed to question or have independent thoughts
?til we turn you on
We're only expected to act when given permission
And shut up and don?t speak
We're not supposed to voice our own opinions or ideas
Cause there?s nothing wrong
We're taught that everything is fine and not to question it
Honor codes
We are expected to follow strict moral codes
Carved in stone
These rules are unchangeable
With blood and bone
They have been followed for generations and are deeply ingrained
(Lost on their Fields of friendly strife)
These rules have been lost in modern society
It?s not enough
Just following these rules is not sufficient
To say you
We can't just claim to follow these rules
Just don?t know
We can't just say we don't understand them
(How dare you come through it alive)
We're not supposed to survive if we don't strictly follow these rules
Now raise a
As we get older
Picket fence
We're expected to settle down and build a stable life
And settle down
We're expected to conform to societal norms
(It?s time you found yourself a life)
We're told it's time to start living our lives a certain way
You?re much too
We're too old now
Old to sit and
We're too old to just sit around and do nothing
Play the clown
We're not supposed to act silly or do anything that isn't responsible
(You have no right to feel alive)
We're not supposed to enjoy life or feel alive unless we follow the rules
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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