Trapeze

According to the band's myspace, HuDost was initially formed as an acoustic duo between songwriters Moksha Sommer and Jemal Wade Hines that later expanded to include an ensemble of musicians and instruments. With the band's third album, Trapeze, HuDost exemplifies their versatility with genres and musicianship that gained them acclaim from their first two albums and currently puts them at the forefront of the folk rock world.

With the help of Malcolm Burn, the Grammy award-winning producer who has worked with Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop, the band produced an album that is almost unclassifiable. The album opens with "Trespasser," a seven-minute jam that draws comparison to Portishead through the layered guitar, consistent drum beat and echoed vocals, similar to that of Beth Gibbons. From there the album transitions into "Carriage," a complete change from "Trespasser" in tone and mood, providing an upbeat tempo accompanied with piano and a country influenced vocal performance.

The musicianship on Trapeze is incredible, to say the least. Aside from Sommer and Wade, the band consists of three percussionists and a variety of other musicians who play cello, flutes, bass and provide vocals. In "Breakup Breakdown," the song opens with tribal percussion and flute before acoustic guitar and Sommer join in to add more melodic direction. "Breakup Breakdown" showcases the band's side of world music that can be heard throughout the whole album.

Sommer's vocals do an excellent job of entrapping the listener. Much like Elizabeth Fraser, of Coteau Twins fame, it's not important for the listener to know what Sommer is singing about in order to be entranced. The vocals easily mark the mood of each song and provide a tone that is distinctive through Sommer's emotion and pitch range.

The album fall shorts in its inconsistency. The album jumps genres in each song, going between country, folk, world and rock and can leave the listener longing for a sound they heard on an earlier track that won't reappear later. A lot of the atmosphere built on opener "Trespasser" doesn't come back on any later songs, instead focusing on a sound built on pop hooks with country-styled vocals and acoustic and soft percussion.

HuDost shows promise with their third album, offering orchestral composition that can be executed due to their vast ensemble and musicianship. The band works well with the sounds and unique instruments they use, though they lack a sense of originality that could help pinpoint where they're going directionally.