New Music: Human Highway – "The Sound"

Jim Guthrie and Nick Thorburn of Islands are Human HighwayJim Guthrie, formerly of Royal City and the crafter of 2003’s tremendous Now, More Than Ever, doesn’t need any help making records. His brand of tender, copiously arranged folk walks a thin line between twee cartoonishness and orchestral seriousness — the last thing he needs is a collaborator to tip him too far in either direction. But Nick Thorburn from Islands, a laughably cartoonish (and unbearably pretentious) band who I didn’t like any better when they were post-Twee as Fuck firebrands the Unicorns, appears to have done just that. Pairing as Human Highway, Guthrie and Thorburn’s first single is “The Sound” a song that’s basically half awesome Guthrie-isms and half shitty Islands-isms. Hopefully August debut Moody Motorcycle will find them fixing the ratio.

(Moody Motorcycle is due 8/19 on Suicide Squeeze)

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