There is music for the masses, music for the soul, music for the heart,and those hungry of it, and even music for the malls -- or is that justMuzac? HiM is music for musicians, and "New Features" is an impressivedisplay of the talent this group encompasses. The group is tight,driving, sinewy, grooved-out and this time they venture further intotheir exploration of dub, now with an even greater Latin flavor. HiMmake music that demands movement. If you aren't dancing to this record,you're missing the point. This, their fifth release, really showcaseshow incredible the communication is in this band, and exactly how muchpotential lies in wait, ready to be unleashed in a live setting. Live,I'm sure, these songs sound even better with the improvisational bentthey receive, but on record they're just as precious. I especiallyliked how, from even the first track, each musician gets their time inthe sun. No one instrument is a stand-out. And where effects likedelays, beeps, and artificial beats could detract from the quality ofthe playing, HiM use them brilliantly here, using the less is moreprincipal to showcase the playing rather than muddying it. My only realcomplaint would be that several songs seem reminiscent of Beastie Boysinstrumentals in style and feel. But on a CD that features severaltracks over the ten minute mark, including the eighteen-minute opus "InTransition," one doesn't even find the need to complain about songlength. Right when you feel like the music should shift in a newdirection, it does, right on cue. It's all about different flavors on"New Features," and in the hands of less skilled musicians, it could gohorribly wrong. In the hands of HiM, it sounds like these "NewFeatures" have been there all along: you just haven't been listening.
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