Album Review: Uh Huh Her Gets Deep and Dark with “Nocturnes”
Los Angeles electro/pop duo Uh Huh Her, formed by Leisha Hailey and Camila Grey in 2007, released their second full-length album, Nocturnes, this past October. The record boasts a collection of songs that are well-ingrained in darkness, but that’s not to say that a little light doesn’t shine through in a few melodic and lyrical corners. Some subtle and conspicuous light/dark parallelism resides beneath the electro-techno licks, melismatic ‘Ehs’ and ‘Ahs’, organ-based intros, and Radiohead-esque extros. Overall, the album’s very listenable beats and deeply poetic lyrics make it a step in the upward direction compared to Hailey and Grey’s previous output. Although, I must admit that the song “Black and Blue” is a frequent guest on the “recently played” list on my iPod.
To focus for a minute on track-layout, I’m baffled as to why the second song of the album, “Another Case”, isn’t the first one. Refutably the best song of the album by virtue of its replay-ability, it is best listened to LOUD with a considerable amount of bass in the speakers. The song’s march-like percussion and gentle synths are perfect precursors to the booming, almost startling kick drum-hits that swiftly introduce the number’s aggressively confrontational nature. Some dichotomy even surfaces here in the song’s overarching motif of strength versus weakness.
The song “Human Nature” most prominently embodies the light/dark theme, having originally been commissioned for the first Twilight soundtrack (but unfortunately not having made the bill). The line ‘You are so dark but in times you are light’ best captures one interpretation of the song’s thesis: that everyone possesses some element of darkness, but it usually coexists with its luminous counterpart, even if one side outwardly manifests more than the other. ‘Oh there’s something you hide, but I’ll stay with you’ seems to refer to the other light and dark divide at work in this song: the idea of engaging in a potentially dangerous relationship knowing that it’s not the safest thing to do. This notion of being in a relationship that becomes corrupt resurfaces in the 11-song compilation in “Disdain” and “Criminal.” The percussion in the latter is absolutely monumental, and embodies a bit of that ’90s hard rock feel- very nice contrast with Grey’s soft, sorrowful vocals.
Stylistically, the melismatic vocal line consisting of ‘Eeehs’ after the first chorus of “Human Nature” takes on a hint of a country feel, and is also damn sexy, for lack of a better assessment. Some nice layering comes into play in the ‘I think your name…’ verse, with a variation on the melody in the keys, and bright, bouncy guitar riffs evocative of a sunrise or a window opening that accompany the ‘You are so dark…’ line. It’s a perfect instrumental/lyrical simultaneity.
I would’ve liked to hear Hailey’s voice more frequently in the forefront, to add a bit more depth to UHH’s music. Grey is at the vocal helm of so many of the songs, with what seems like very ancillary appearances from Hailey. This not only fails to showcase her singing, but it thwarts the duo’s potential for some hauntingly beautiful and texturally diverse harmony.
It’s nice to hear some acoustic piano in “Time Stands Still,” the last and most serene song of the 11 tracks. Even though it’s tender, loving, and romantic-sounding, its synthetic-y percussion provides a nice sense of movement. The tune dissolves into an impressionistic tableau of voices and glossy sounds about a minute and a half from the end, giving the record a warm yet somewhat trippy sense of finality. Nocturnes is packed with low-key yet potentially danceable beats, soaring, airy vocals, and substantial commentary on how Hailey and Grey relate to the world.
An interview with Camila Grey to be published shortly.
“Another Case”
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