The Hush Sound @ The Troubadour 6/1/16
Last night’s 10-year anniversary of the Hush Sound’s “Like Vines” was dedicated “to Axl Rose’s broken foot,” so said to Hush Sound keyboardist/vocalist Greta Salpeter. As ridiculous as it sounds, it felt true to form; the Hush Sound fashion festivity out of the bizarre, their piano-driven pop rock underscoring tales of traveling circuses to ghostly lighthouses to deadly games of archery.Thus, it made sense they’d find morbid humor in the fact a rock god broke his foot on the same stage only two months prior.
Nostalgia drove this show, but the Hush Sound carried said show all the way to the finish line. Old standards such as “We Intertwined,” “Don’t Wake Me Up,” and “Wine Red” felt just as strong as they did 10 years ago, and they still have the same effect. Salpeter’s deep alto found a matched confidence in lead singer/guitarist Bob Morris’ poppy tenor, and both lifted the roof off the Troubadour.
The results were songs perfect for existential summer strolling, something we all do whether we admit it or not. These traits separated the Hush Sound from their Fueled By Ramen label mates, as their music combined the understanding of adulthood with the wonder of childhood.
Though they’re “carelessly growing up and growing old,” the Hush Sound thankfully have not grown any less relatable.
