Hymns: Travel in Herds

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★★★★★★★★★★

For those fans who loved Dr. Dog’s throwback sound, with last years We All Belong, this years retro-style-indie-rock-almost-hippie release from the Hymns, Travel in Herds will be a warm sunbeam fighting back a cruel winter.   There’s a down home vibe to the tunes contained on Travel in Herds and it stems straight out of seventies folk-rock.

“I Can’t Be What U You Want” is a dynamite example of what this 4 piece (backed by horns here) can accomplish when they internalize their influences and expel a unique hybrid, truly a first class tune.  However the sound on the album can, at times, feel a bit too reminiscent.  “Blame it on the Mountains” is so straight Tom Petty it could be a B-side or cover tune, charming while playing but you may need to go in for the real thing soon after.  The fireside feel of “Train Song” would make Neil Young perk up, and the title track “Travel in Herds” rambles like a Band outtake.  A hidden track ends the album with an acoustic ditty that is a nice nod to the Beatles, proving that the Hymns have good taste in the past and, perhaps, a blueprint for the future.

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