HOPEWELL
Purple Balloon (Priapus)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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If Spacemen 3 were still around, then now maybe they’d sound like this. Having said that, this isn’t a sure bet that if you’re into them or, say, Spiritualized, you’d like Hopewell. I even heard latter-period Swans influences too. I hate to just pass this off as Space/Dream Pop, but in Hopewell’s case, this is a compliment. Strong songs, and wet, slick, even slimy production (like it was recorded in a damp cave), is a sketch of what you’ll find here. Echoing femme vocals, that may or may not be singing in English are prevalent throught this 6-song EP (EP?, at over 35 minutes in length, it surpasses the duration of some albums). The male vocals that flesh out the second half of this platter are breathy and folky. I like the girl’s better. A bit like the Cocteau Twins songs as played by Galaxie 500. The music-box playing The Way We Were on Memories amid found-sound voice samples, helped make it very poignant, and one of the highlights of this cd. The song runs slower and slower, as the music-box runs out of energy, and the swirling noises around it are built up gradually, until the music finally ceases to exist. Spooky ending. A recommended cd.

© 2000 - Jason Thornberry