Huge, Large, and Electric: Hugo Largo 1984-1991＜限定盤＞

New Yorks Hugo Largo barely released an hours worth of material during their seven-year existence, but they had a major impact on a handful of tastemakers and downtown music scene enthusiasts. They had a most unconventional lineup, eschewing guitars or drums in favor of two bassists and a violinist, and frontwoman Mimi Goese possessed a unique dynamic range, drawing notes out far beyond single measures and unexpectedly soaring into higher registers, yet escaping shrillness or melodrama. Their music was lush and ethereal, but intimate rather than drowning in cavernous reverb like most acts tagged as dream pop, and their gentle pacing can be likened to a forerunner of slowcore. Michael Stipe was an early champion of Hugo Largo, and he co-produced and guested on Drum, their 1987 debut EP, which was then remixed and expanded into an LP on Opal Records after Brian Eno also became an adoring fan of the group. The records highlights include a droning yet melodic take on the Kinks "Fancy," the cathartic but not aggressive "Scream Tall," and the Stipe-featuring "Eureka." Mettle, the bands second and final album, leads with one of their best and most accessible tunes, the ecstatic "Turtle Song," which almost sounds like it could have appeared on a Throwing Muses record. Other tracks feel a bit more structured than those on Mettle, but its still an enchanting record filled with abstract beauty. Unreleased and Live: 1984-1991 compiles concert performances, B-sides from the "Turtle Song" single, and material written for an unrecorded third album by the bands final lineup. A few tracks are certainly much rougher and more demo-like than the groups albums, but theres plenty of raw brilliance to be heard. A live version of "Fancy" is much noisier, dronier, and more Velvet Underground-inspired than the studio recording, and the Michael Brook co-produced "Gloria/Angels We Have Heard on High" sneaks a Patti Smith quote into the Christmas carol. After the bands breakup in 1991, Goese and violinist Hahn Rowe were both featured on Mobys early major-label albums, and Goeses electronic-heavy solo debut, Soak, appeared on David Byrnes Luaka Bop imprint. Huge, Large, and Electric provides a welcome look back at a quietly innovative group. ~ Paul Simpson