On All Our Golden Tomorrows, their triumphant fourth album, UHF convincingly show that a band need not wallow in the retro-narcissism that currently dominates the charts to integrate the sounds of the past into contemporary music. The album abounds with audible influences, from the Krautrock-inflected echo effects that kick off killer opening track "Disconnect" to the Bends-era Radiohead semblance of late track "Goodbye Hello" (whose title also suggests The
Beatles, of course). But it adds one crucial ingredient that lifts UHF well above the teeming masses of backward-looking bands: amazing songwriting. With a tight sense of structure, smart lyrics, and-most importantly-an impeccable ear for the sharpest hooks this side of Captain Hook's left arm, UHF deserve a place at the head of the indie-rock table.
A laundry list of those influences fails to capture the transcendent pull of All
Our Golden Tomorrows, but it does give a sense of where UHF is coming from. "Disconnect," which would be blasting from a million radios as I type this in a world where airplay was based on sheer quality rather than corporate bribery, bridges the gap between Can and disco, with verses that sound like late 1980s/early'90s Meat
Puppets. "The Behemoth" could be an outtake from one of Peter
Gabriel's self-titled prog-rock albums of the late 1970s, except that it's too good to be an outtake. "The Inbetweens" sounds like David
Bowie in his spacey early '70s phase, when he decided that homo sapiens had outgrown their use. Then there's the aforementioned traces of Radiohead, and even the garagey "So High," where the chords bang out like smacks to the heads of the numerous pseudo-garage bands going through the motions to inexplicable acclaim that would be better directed toward this. And okay, the band's name calls to mind the cinematic debut of "Weird Al" Yankovich, but any lingering thoughts of "Amish Paradise" are wiped out within the first ten seconds.
These comparisons are just a roadmap, not an encapsulation of UHF. The band plays with a vivid, infectious exuberance that almost masks the careful musicianship holding the album together, and the smooth production gives every instrument a warm clarity-even the keyboards are mixed in perfectly, neither dominating the mix nor struggling to be heard beneath the guitars, bass and drums. "Come with me and we'll go flying," offers singer Jeremy Leff at one point. Take him up on it; the only risk is that UHF will go "So High" the sun will melt their wings.
This is UHF`s fourth album and talk about a band finding its footing on their 4th record, well, UHF have done just that. We`ve always enjoyed their past releases (all on the site). Sounding like The
New Pornographers, The Shins and Matthew
Sweet playing Radiohead circa "The Bends" and 90`s U2, UHF play here with a rare confidence, certaintly few bands go into the studio and capture. They also have sounds here on All
Our Golden Tomorrows that bring to mind the long lost Frisbie, Spoon and Sloan. Everyone says it these days but..."It`s All Good". Indeed. At times, the band blasts a tsunami of hooks and power chordings that throttle along, other times they take a most hypnotic, patient approach. Meticulously crafted, haunting and beautiful beyond words, the sighing melodies and soaring melodies, this one is filled with such emotion. In some spots, no doubt, UHF hits the similar chords that classic U2 does for their fans with creating sweeping sonic landscapes, textured sonics with echoed guitars and reach-high affect. These elegies are punctuated with flourishes and careful arrangements that seep slowly and then soar. It`s all good. Very, very good. Extremely Highly Recommended!
With the opening track, "Disconnect," UHF directly moves the listener to a fever pitch, delivering a stunning array of guitars, percussion and synths that create a breathtaking stir in any environment. The sound of UHF is unique and full of uncanny, electronic bliss, as All
Our Golden Tomorrows paints a lush landscape of impressionist melodic colors. The music is simple in structure, yet its impact emotionally through both dynamics and sonics is perfectly stated. UHF is tight and cohesive through the record, and well worthy of a following for their talents. Perhaps the production is a little too much on the reverb and chorus side, as each song is laced and polished with a boatload of delay and effects. Both the simple chord structure of the songs, and the length of some of the material may be a weakness, as attention spans of the listener may trail off as the record grows. Yet the bulk of the best material for UHF is found in the very first three to four tracks, giving the album some zest and life. Overall, this is an album created by a band full of wit and creative flair, a collection of songs beautifully layered in a landscape of imaginative, magical sound.
UHF - One of the Best Indie Bands You Never Heard Of
Definitely under-rated, definitely under appreciated, definitely a band that everyone should know about but few do... UHF is the band. Hailing from Portland, Oregon this quartet have put together pure pop magic genius. 2002's 'If It Was Easy' was a perfect pop masterpiece and received critical raves by every critic who touched it. For some reason, these guys did not get the exposure to the Indie crowd. If you like Death
Cab For Cutie, Brendan Benson, The
Long Winters, Nada Surf, Velvet
Crush..... then this band is for you. Combining Beatles like influences and Velvet Crush pop sensibilities UHF is a band to savor and one to pay attention to.
November 2005 will see the new release for UHF called 'All Our Golden Tomorrows'. Thanks to a post on Stereogum by Jed I was alerted to this new release. And again it appears no one is paying attention to these guys.... Listen up, you will love this band.
Remember all those shiny Britpop bands from the late 80s and early 90s? Before Oasis? You know, Blur, EMF, Jesus Jones, Happy Mondays...that sorta thing? UHF takes the party Madchester vibe of that stuff and then adds in a mature sensibility.
For some reason, I hear echoes of the last U2 album, but only fragments here and there. Maybe it's the abandon--one of the reasons I thought How
to Dismantle... was that band's best effort in almost 20 years. A calculated abandon, perhaps, as these songs are exceptionally crafted, but there's a live wire spirit flowing through this entire album.
And even when the boys decide to get a little trippy and psychedelic (which fits some of those references just fine), the songs simply keep on rolling. The shiny production sound fits the pop views of these boys just fine. And it complements the more introspective moments as well. Like the songs themselves, this sound is exceptionally crafted.
All that work and very little sound of anything getting forced. This is a gorgeous album, one that seems to expand its grand vision song by song. Just sit back and let the music take over.
Though
a lot of press releases these days claim their CD combines elements of Radiohead, Coldplay,
and Doves, and then you get some sub-standard, shambolic, whining, angliphilic
mess of self-absorption, this is one of those rare LPs that reaches for those
Brit atmospheric heights and yet doesn't crash unceremoniously right back down
to ground, their wings burned off by the unforgiving sun. No, instead UHF positively
glides and soars!! Helped greatly by fantastic production from the man behind
the desk on the last rather good Dandy Warhols LP, Gregg Williams,
this Portland, OR psych-pop quartet come across like a 2001 Byrds, a pretty Beatles,
a moodier Velvet Crush, a graceful And Also The Trees, and a late-period Ride
(circa Carnival of Light) sort of group. They're all full of gauzy passages,
sparkling vocals, and sharp songs that draw out the pleasures like a well-written
short story. But they're flexible, too, and not the least bit gloomy or
despondent, they're just damn lovely and rather heartfelt. See the Bacharach
horns from the amazing Eric Matthews (who really needs to make another
LP!!!) on The Church-like "She's Going Up", what sounds like a neat
banjo and slide guitar and then flamenco trumpet on the bouncy "Easy",
a twang of sitar amidst twinkling guitar passages on "Toast", or the
playful David Bowie Diamond Dogs "We Are the Dead" organ on
the dreamy-little "Dear Prudence"-ish ballad, "First Thing in
the Morning". Singer Jeremy Leff had already proven himself a promising
writer on two previous LPs, but this is a huge leap of craft and sound,
and it sounds near-perfect from start to finish. A highly accomplished record
from one of the best emerging new U.S. bands you've never heard of, this sort
of full-on artistic success isn't "easy" at all. Investigate!
- Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover
After last year's LOTTERY -- a successful gamble on rock's biggest potential
banana skin, the concept album -- UHF returns with its third full-length offering
of pyschedelically flavored indie pop. Although it doesn't strive for the overarching
thematic unity that characterized its predecessor, IF IT WAS EASY is equally
strong. On the surface, UHF's songs are immediately catchy but, far from being
one-dimensional, they also display a considerable depth of craft. The Portland
band doesn't simply imitate its late-'60s/early-'70s sources but renders the
sounds of earlier melodic pop and psychedelia in its own fashion, giving several
songs the feel of ready-made minor classics. This is especially true of the
summery, horn-adorned "She's Going Up" and the subtly mesmerizing "She
Don't Know," with its lazy harmonica. UHF surrenders to that more lazy,
spacey groove on "These Footsteps" (complete with guitar freak out)
and on "Last Rays of the Sun," an eight-minute epic bathed in hypnotic,
interwoven guitar and keyboard atmospherics. With IF IT WAS EASY, UHF makes
creating a record of this caliber seem effortless.
These days psychedelic pop groups seem to be sprouting up like mushrooms on the
rotten log that is indie rock. It's either indication of a lack of imagination
on the part of semi-professional musicians or a boon to fans of the style. With
a record as good as If It Was Easy as evidence, it's tempting to lean to towards
the latter. Portland's UHF doesn't do anything particularly unique on its third
record, but it doesn't need to. Frontman Jeremy Leff and his bandmates simply
write sterling pop songs, with rich melodies and vibrant production topped off
by Leff's distinctive whiskey sour vocals. "Easy," "Moderntown" and "She's
Going Up" (featuring trumpet from Portland's MIA pop wunderkind Eric Matthews)
are the kind of tuneful confections that make you want to storm the control room
of your nearest radio station and force them to play these cuts on the air. "Toast" and "Last
Rays of the Sun" (what is the deal with psychedelia and the sun?) are the
psychedelic rock epics found on every psych/pop album worth its salt, and fine
examples they are, too, with effects-damaged guitars and trippy atmospheres. "These
Footsteps" takes the album home with a countryish ballad that cappers the
record in moving style. With If It Was Easy, UHF can proudly add its name to
the list of American psych/rock luminaries.
For fans of: the Red Telephone, Sugarbuzz, the Sneetches
Portland's UHF follow-up last year's masterful mod-inspired concept album Lottery
(an American All Mod Cons or Parklife of sorts) with the more psychedelic sounding
If It Was Easy. Produced by Gregg Williams, who did such an excellent job on
the last Dandy Warhols effort, UHF's latest has a nice laid back melodic vibe.
Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover was pretty spot-on in his analysis of this record,
comparing the group to the Byrds and Ride c. Carnival of Light, and I'm not about
to argue with that -- UHF definitely prove worthy of such a comparison here.
Vocalist and songwriter Jeremy Leff is an immense talent; you practically melt
listening to his superb melodies blend with the band's shimmering sound on tunes
such as "Mr. Grey," the lovely ballad "First Thing In The Morning," The
Boo Radleys-tinged "Moderntown," and the transcendent psychedelic marvel "Last
Rays Of The Sun." The major labels may be hurting (serves them right for
wasting so much money on so many idiotic bands), but that isn't stopping great
indie pop bands and labels from making things happen for themselves. UHF are
a perfect example.
This is UHF's third album, our own Bill Holmes reviewed their second album last
year and I STILL wasn't aware of them until just now. God, what a twit! I have
some catching up to do. Portland, Oregon's best-kept secret, perhaps? Well, they
got under my radar despite some of the sweetest sounding indie-psych-pop being
performed today. Brothers Jeremy (vocals) and Jeff (guitar) Lordan, bassist Jeff
Nelson and drummer Matt Johnson have a remarkable chemistry that works as well
up tempo as it does on lofty, dreamy pieces. The world they create within their
music is filled with beauty and light, and the occasional swear word slips in
with a perfect rhyme that would even make Falwell say "Um, okay, that actually
fits." The pop is fine and dandy, but, for my tastes, UHF are at their best
when they slip into the surreal, as they do so perfectly on "The Last Rays
Of The Sun," not at all too long at 8 minutes. They create texture, sub
texture, sub-sub texture, a few more, and layer them one at a time until you,
the listener, have the option of which layer to float along on, run along on,
or climb from one to another during the song. In headphones this is better defined
but a whole lot more daunting. At the end of this sonic hurricane you're deposited
in the gentle sounds of "These Footsteps," the album's closing number,
a needed lullaby after the previous 8 minutes. If It Was Easy should be getting
a lot of attention but it probably won't, and by now you know why. Indie versus
major label. Big money versus no money. Time and again it's the no-money places
where you'll find the best music, the bands who won't whore themselves and intentionally
look or sound like everyone else. They know they're not going to get rich this
way, but they hope some people hear them and enjoy what they do. Give it a shot.
Summer demands a great rock album. The third release from Portland band UHF is one of these. With a rather innocuous band name and undistinguished album cover, I fear the CD might fall between the cracks (and under the stacks) of radio programmers, music critics, and store shelves -- which would be a shame, because this is the record that is getting me through the summer.
The CD is being self-distributed by the band, which consists of twins Jeremy and Jordan Leff (the former providing lead vocals, keys, harmonica, and the latter on guitar, bass, more keys), Jeff Nelson (further guitar and bass duties) and Matt Johnson (drums).
The mere structure of the record evokes the word "classic" -- ten
perfectly sequenced tracks running the gamut of all things pop. The insanely catchy "She's Going Up" sounds like something from XTC's Colin Moulding on a less serious day. The smart-ass anthem "Easy" might be saying something about social acceptance ("They say they got your back but it's just your spine"), and is worthy of being a huge hit.
The band's tendency towards sarcasm is never grating, but is delivered with such convincing grace, it seems like a well-earned bit of wisdom. Take the sweetly melancholic "Toast" (which is even more gratifying if one is presently suffering from a broken heart): "Here's to me and you, here's to everything we planned, but will never do. Here's to what we said, here's to everything we said, but didn't follow through." The primal drumming and organ-drenched groove on "Last Rays of the Sun" make it a hair-raising epic.
If you're one of those less hard-hearted folks who is vulnerable to seasonal pop, turn to UHF. For the evening, come 9:30 or so, I also recommend the debut record from Consonant (Fenway Recordings), which marks the triumphant return of Clint Conley to music alongside a breif reunion of his old band, Mission of Burma. Another must for sunny afternoons: The Maroons' You're Gonna Ruin Everything (In Music We Trust). And while we wait for a new Minders record, last year's Golden Street (spinART) still sounds great in the car or on the front lawn.
These Portland alt rockers' sound careens stylistically, from a haunting piano ballad such as "First Thing in the Morning" to the up-tempo bubblegum of "She's Going Up". While there isn't exactly a shortage of quirky pop rock quartets these days, strong songwriters are much harder to come by, and it's here that UHF truly excels.
- Bart Mendoza, Music Critic, San Diego Union Tribune
I could tell, just from the e-mail, that this disc would be as good as its billing.
It brings me back to the moment I got my first puppy. On the big day, we woke up not knowing whether we'd bring home a dog or cat ... or any animal at all. We only knew that we would search the pounds and shelters, and see what was available.
After frequenting several establishments, we entered what we'd already decided would be the final room of the day. As we walked past the kittens toward the puppy area, we looked up and saw her. Yup, the light surrounded her little black puppy face, and we looked at each other, and we just knew ... we just knew.
What I want the guys of UHF to take from this review -- besides the incredible number of sarcastic comments this undoubtedly will generate during rehearsal -- is that your fans just know you're that good. (And they'll have a chance to find out, when you play The G Street Pub on Friday, Sept. 20.)
You've read all the Dandy Warhol and Flaming Lips comparisons -- and you know they're right on -- and now it's time to dedicate yourselves solely to the prospect of doing what you love doing, for as long as the cosmos will allow.
As good as you are, you also know that very few in your business survive, and that your Portland-based home hardly is the hotbed of psychedelic pop. So now it's up to you, and I can offer only the following advice:
Don't go licking anybody's face.
Not all bands hailing from the Pacific Northwest sound like Pearl Jam or Nirvana. UHF are a good example of the growing Portland, Oregon music scene, one that is as different from the over-hyped Seattle sound of the nineties as night is from day. Twin brothers Jeremy (vocals) and Jordan (guitar) Leff front UHF, with bassist Jeff Nelson and drummer Matt Johnson providing the bottom line to what the band calls "psychedelic pop music." I don't know too much about that, but If It Was Easy, the third UHF album, is a mighty fine collection of tunes that, while sharing a pop/rock stylistic thread, also shows a great deal of musical diversity. Jeremy Leff's finely crafted lyrics are matched by his expressive, engaging vocals and the instrumental chemistry of the band is uncanny.
The tunes on If It Was Easy stand up well against anything any better-known indie popmeisters are currently cranking out on disc. "She Don't Know" is a mesmerizing tune with swirling guitars and rhythms crashing while "She's Going Up" is an upbeat number with sixties-styled horns and a bit of Britpop influence. "Moderntown" is downright Beatlesque in its execution, if not its origin, while "Last Rays Of The Sun" kicks off with a manic, distorted riff and tribal drums before spiraling into a trippy rocker with cool guitar echo and spacey instrumentation. Produced Gregg Williams (Dandy Warhols) brings his expertise to the board, helping to make If It Was Easy an extremely polished and professional-sounding effort. This is a band worth keeping an eye on, If It Was Easy drawing from influences like the Beatles, Jellyfish and Oasis even while it creates a distinctive identity and bright future for UHF.
- Keith Gordon, Mondo Gordo
Review - IF IT WAS EASY
Portland Tribune
In the year or so since the release of its daring concept album, "Lottery",
Portland's UHF has not been idle.
ÝThe band's new release, "If It Was Easy," addresses some of the shortcomings
of the previous record and takes several assured steps forward.
Ý"If It Was Easy" finds Jeremy Leff's lead vocals ratcheted up a notch or two,
aided immeasurably by Gregg Williams' ace production. On elegeant jangle-pop
nuggets such as "Mr. Grey" and "Easy," Leff finds a broader emotional range and
new melodic angles to plumb.
ÝUHF still has its heart in Atlantis, reaching back in time for that shiny psychedelic
ring, but sturdy, soulful moments such as "First Thing in the Morning" reveal
that the band can be just as modern as Millie.
Ý"If It Was Easy" is a more relaxed and confident record than its predecessor.
It's a tingly album full of first-class pop songs.
As the bright shine of 12 string guitars and the deep sweep of flangers and echo units plant themselves in the soundscape, it's apparent that these guys took plenty of influence from '80s alternative rock and psychedelic resurgence bands. This Pacific Northwest-based group has a penchant for two-part harmonies and circular riffs, tight and shameless pop rock influenced by The Beatles and early REM. The bass and drums are tight and punchy, working off each other in a classic fashion. Their choice of fluid, dark tones along with whiplash production techniques lends the album a touch of mystique, while their major-minor shifts add perfect heartrending twists.
- Maurice S. Teilmann, The Synthesis
Review - IF IT WAS EASY
Two Louies Magazine
It's been a little over a year since we last heard from UHF, an engaging quartet headed by the talented brothers Leff, Jeremy, the lead singer, who occassionally contributes some keyboard and harmonica parts, Jordan, who plays guitar and keys -- sharing the backup vocal duties with drummer Matt Johnson; while splitting the bass duties with second guitarist Jeff Nelson.
As was mentioned with last year's Lottery, their first album, the band has a distinct '60s, British Invasion context, which is entirely anachronistic, considering the lads' relatively young ages. At any particular time, the band sounds like the Who, the Beatles, the Kinks and Small Faces; as well as Badfinger, the Byrds, Pink Floyd, XTC, Split Enz, World Party, Elliott Smith and latter-day Tears for Fears. But this is no oldies band.
For, while the lads are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves -- on this, their sophomore effort, those influences have been distilled into something nearer to a true style that is all their own. The four execute their well-wrought arrangements with laser-sharp precision. To help them pull all of these elements, the band selected longtime scene-veteran Gregg Williams to produce the album. Gregg, who has produced the Dandy Warhols among many others, lends a sympathetic ear and his fine technical abilities as a drummer to the proceedings, ably steering the band in a positive direction.Leading off the album is "She Don't Know". Chiming guitars sprightly drone behind Jeremy's slightly detached vocal, somewhat reminiscent of E with the Eels. Jeremy's wailing harmonica adds nice texture to the choruses. "Mr. Grey" sounds very Who-like (pre-Tommy), with Beatles undertones -- Jeremy's charming falsetto decorating the transitions between verse and chorus.
An electric twelve-string guitar lick drives "She's Going Up," placing it as Beatles, circa 1964-66, reminiscent of "I Call Your Name" and "Ticket to Ride". It's an uptempo tune, something XTC's Colin Moulding might write. A hooky chorus and a satisfying bridge help to put this number over the top. A moody, descending chromatic electric piano figure colors "First Thing in the Morning," with Jeremy's voice sounding faint and adenoidal, like Elliott Smith, but emotive like Ed Roland of Collective Soul as well. Nelson's delicate guitar filigrees nicely decorate the song without being the least bit showy. His solo in the middle section is economical and succinct, making room for a brief bass interlude, before shifting down a gear for the extended fade.
Jeremy's vocal on "Easy" could easily pass for
Joey Molland of Badfinger, with a song arrangement extremely reminiscent of
the Beatles. The chorus is directly related to McCartney's "I'll Follow The
Sun" from Beatles '65/For Sale, the verse could be an early draft of "Drive
My Car" from Yesterday & Today/Rubber Soul. A witty and clever lyric helps move
the song along. "Every penny that I've spent just left me for broke/My tickertape
escape is just one more t-t-toke/It's easy/Suddenly you're gone in the blink
of an eye/That's just the kind of downer that gets me high/It's so easy/So easy." The
chorus maintains the ascerbic attitude. "It's easy, when you know who to know/It's
easy when you know where to go/It's easy, when you know who to blow/Who to see/Who
to be/Just follow me." A seductive interlude in the middle featuring a young
woman named Kitty performing the vocals over and Ted Kamp of Ponticello on trumpet,
add to the overall effect. A good song.
A lovely, Byrdsian melody graces "Toast," a song that evolves in a different
direction in the chorus/bridge. The bridge, especially, is somewhat ethereal.
Another good song, "Moderntown" sounds like Tears for Fears, World Party or
Tal Bachman doing the Beatles. Nice vocal harmonies and maniacal attention to
sonic detail, with brilliant little touches and flourishes scattered throughout
the presentation, adds immeasurably to the overall effect of the song. A watery
organ plays against Johnson's insistent snare on "Rain On The Street." Nelson's
elegant slide guitar work, whirls lazily in the background, creating a drowsy
liquid ambiance.
The songwriting and execution are at a consistently high level throughout this project. There are no pedestrian songs. There are no lukewarm performances. Every note on this album means something and was consciously placed into the mix. The production is as tight as it can be, without becoming sterile. UHF have made great strides toward presenting themselves in the best light -- demonstrating musical chops, lyrical intelligence and subtle humor.
I have heard a lot of independent recordings in the past year, from all over the country. But not one has the polish and professional sheen that bands such as UHF, Jeff Trott, the Bella Fayes, and many other local bands exhibit. This is not civic pride talking necessarily, but what passes for journalistic objectivity. Such a statement is not easily explained. One suspects that the high level of musicianship which Portland bands have competitively sustained in the local clubs for the past twenty-five years has set the bar markedly higher than in most other cities: where the auteur aspect of the music business dictates that it is uncool to be too good.
UHF produces diligently assiduous music, with top-notch proficiency, music that is accessible and entertaining. In any other industry but the one they are in, they would be obvious choices for a contract, with further career development. But in the Rock Music Industry, where talent is sometimes a liability and where marketability reigns supreme, one never knows.
- S.P. Clarke, Two Louies Magazine
Review - LOTTERY
Vendetta Magazine
UHF have released a striking concept album. Following in the fashion of SF Sorrow, The Who Sell Out, and Setting Sons, LOTTERY is a compelling tale of friends growing up and growing apart, their mundane lives in suburbia, and their attempts to deal with the 9-5 grind, articulated through some dazzling pop classics such as the ringing "Best Friends"... very ambitous and very impressive!
- Ben Vendetta, Vendetta Magazine
Review - LOTTERY
Cosmik Debris
Wow! Not only a band who obviously find their roots in classic British bands like The Pretty Things, Kinks and The Who, but a concept album to boot! But UHF put in a lot of hard work to create something original in the spirit of the above-mentioned artists. (And if they just wanted to mimic the past, they could have - I've heard their cover of a Pretty Things track and it's massive!) What impressed me most was the diverse instrumentation and song structure throughout the record; slap on the headphones and savor the sonic touches that embellish almost every track...I can't wait to hear what they try next.
- Bill Holmes, Cosmik Debris
Review - LOTTERY
The Big Takeover
This Portland, Oregon quartet know how to get a beleaguered reviewer's attention. They cite the late 60's Kinks, Pretty Things (in fact, they've recorded "She's a Lover"), Small Faces, and the Who's psych-pop classics as their inspirations, and serve up a good old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness concept LP that's lyrically like these Brit Invsasion heroes - and their later offspring The Jam. That is to say, LOTTERY is a story LP with a strong, unforced, immediately relevant theme, not some notoriously indulgent prog-rock wank about magic hobbits and trolls or some such rot. But the music sounds more like the new wave powerpop of the late 70's, where Rickenbackers came back, farfisa organs sounded fine, and the intelligent words drew you in -- in more contemporary terms, kind of like a cleaner, more measured and deliberate Elephant 6 band. This is a complete and interesting LP. The lyrics trace the middle-life span of an average-Joe protagonist, from innocence in excited youth to tired, spent, passive and cynical, mature middle-aged discontent. And the music also seems to connect from track to track, the sign of developed pop songwriters. Even the cover art is good, with a potpourri of life's artifacts crammed into a bubblegum machine. Best track: the slowly-unfolding, mesmeric "Camera," every bit as good as their old faves. Were it that more indie bands put this kind of effort into making LP's that signify from first second to last second.
- Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover
All Our Golden Tomorrows
The new album from UHF
National release: Jan 2006
"One of
the best emerging new
U.S. bands you've never heard of." -- Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover
Though
a lot of press releases these days claim their CD combines elements of Radiohead, Coldplay,
and Doves, and then you get some sub-standard, shambolic, whining, angliphilic
mess of self-absorption, this is one of those rare LPs that reaches for those
Brit atmospheric heights and yet doesn't crash unceremoniously right back down
to ground, their wings burned off by the unforgiving sun. No, instead UHF positively
glides and soars!! Helped greatly by fantastic production from the man behind
the desk on the last rather good Dandy Warhols LP, Gregg Williams,
this Portland, OR psych-pop quartet come across like a 2001 Byrds, a pretty Beatles,
a moodier Velvet Crush, a graceful And Also The Trees, and a late-period Ride
(circa Carnival of Light) sort of group. They're all full of gauzy passages,
sparkling vocals, and sharp songs that draw out the pleasures like a well-written
short story. But they're flexible, too, and not the least bit gloomy or
despondent, they're just damn lovely and rather heartfelt. See the Bacharach
horns from the amazing Eric Matthews (who really needs to make another
LP!!!) on The Church-like "She's Going Up", what sounds like a neat
banjo and slide guitar and then flamenco trumpet on the bouncy "Easy",
a twang of sitar amidst twinkling guitar passages on "Toast", or the
playful David Bowie Diamond Dogs "We Are the Dead" organ on
the dreamy-little "Dear Prudence"-ish ballad, "First Thing in
the Morning". Singer Jeremy Leff had already proven himself a promising
writer on two previous LPs, but this is a huge leap of craft and sound,
and it sounds near-perfect from start to finish. A highly accomplished record
from one of the best emerging new U.S. bands you've never heard of, this sort
of full-on artistic success isn't "easy" at all. Investigate!
It's been a little over a year since we last heard from UHF, an engaging quartet headed by the talented brothers Leff, Jeremy, the lead singer, who occassionally contributes some keyboard and harmonica parts, Jordan, who plays guitar and keys -- sharing the backup vocal duties with drummer Matt Johnson; while splitting the bass duties with second guitarist Jeff Nelson.
As was mentioned with last year's Lottery, their first album, the band has a distinct '60s, British Invasion context, which is entirely anachronistic, considering the lads' relatively young ages. At any particular time, the band sounds like the Who, the Beatles, the Kinks and Small Faces; as well as Badfinger, the Byrds, Pink Floyd, XTC, Split Enz, World Party, Elliott Smith and latter-day Tears for Fears. But this is no oldies band.
