Electra 2000

by Vincent JeffriesIndependent recordings like Hum's self-released Electra 2000 usually benefit from their low-budget rawness and immediacy. In the studio, the first take is almost always the emotional keeper, and without major-label funding, who can afford to waste hours trying to get it just right? This studio abandon ensures a personal sound that adds greatly to the charm of independent releases. This is not the case, however, with Electra 2000. Some serious rethinking of the mixes and drum performances would have been an enormous benefit to the album. The loud/quiet band aesthetic is mismatched with a loud/loud drumming approach whose dynamic limitations are exceeded only by its wavering meter. It's rare that such a technical problem overshadows otherwise decent material, but between this rhythmic tragedy and the poorly recorded vocals (which on occasion sound like simple mumbling), Electra 2000 is a bit of a flop.