The Hush Sound -- Like Vines

Fall Out Boy discovers Panic! at the Disco; Panic! At the Disco discovers these cats. Following that path, you might expect Fall Out Boy Mark 3 (or at least Panic! Mark 2), but The Hush Sound are the most distinctive of the bunch. Perhaps it's the liberal use of piano and the fact that ivory-tickler, Greta Salpeter croons a few tracks. OK, guitarist Bob Morris, who handles most of the lead vocals, sounds a lot like Panic! singer Brendon Urie, yet the musical stylings are quite different. Not dramatically so, but if you attach the word "punchy" to Panic!, "bouncy" is more accurate for The Hush Sound. With an arguably catchier collection of tunes, The Hush Sound seem to be bringing a fresh coat of paint to the whiny, young-white-boys-with-guitars MO that has dominated the alternative scene the past few years. "Lions Roar" motors along like a show tune, complete with a splash of trumpet, while "We Intertwined" recalls the jingle-jangle Pop of the late '60s and Salpeter adds a Girl-Pop kick to "Wine Red." Like Vines is a refreshing summer surprise. (P.F. Wilson) Grade: A

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