New York's
Hugo Largo barely released an hour's 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 record's 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 band's 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 it's 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 band's final lineup. A few tracks are certainly much rougher and more demo-like than the group's albums, but there's 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 band's breakup in 1991,
Goese and violinist
Hahn Rowe were both featured on
Moby's early major-label albums, and
Goese's electronic-heavy solo debut,
Soak, appeared on
David Byrne's
Luaka Bop imprint.
Huge, Large, and Electric provides a welcome look back at a quietly innovative group. ~ Paul Simpson
