#hellomind

The first signs of stress are typically sleepless nights and hassle stress behandling with memory and concentration. The energy is at rock bottom and the mood changes: one becomes short-tempered, irritable, gray-labile and more angry than usual. The humor disappears, and so does the desire to be with other people.

How did we all arrive here- no one quite knows. The dictation of another force invades this comforting darkness, a shallow factor that taints the mind.

For those who missed our hometown show this past sunday!

Just listen and fall in love.

Hellomind (2011)

GET HERE SOON SO I CAN JAM IN MY CAR

A few months ago, I attended a show on Anarbor and Valencia’s co-headlining “Do America” tour, and a band called NGHBRS happened to be on the bill as an opener. I’d never heard the name, so as their set began, I was, naturally, not sure what to expect, and wasn‘t entirely planning on listening that hard (I wasn‘t really there for the opening bands, after all). However, by the third song or so, the band had definitely managed to capture my attention. They had a unique sound that I didn’t exactly know how to describe--it falls somewhere into the alt/prog rock category, I think. They also proved themselves pretty fast to be good at their instruments (vocals included), and maintained a solid, recognizable style through fast songs, slow songs, and those in between. Finally, crazy and fun (albeit dangerous looking) stage antics and the use of a megaphone may or may not have helped sway my opinion in their favor. NGHBRS (yes, pronounced like “neighbors”) is a four piece originating from Long Island, and their latest EP, Hellomind, is an curious collection of tracks that features everything from faster-paced rock songs, to a slower piano ballad, and some intriguing mid-tempo tunes. While the band has a very consistent sound and style, the songs are still all unique and easy to distinguish from one another. For the most part, they’re not a band for digital effects; what you see on stage--a.k.a. real, talented musicians playing real music--is pretty much what you get in the studio versions of the tracks. No smoke or mirrors. These guys also have some talent for writing clever lyrics, as well as putting together interesting song structures that are dynamic and go a little beyond your run-of-the-mill, predictable rock song, while still being catchy and listenable. Oh, and a side note/bonus? When I saw them live, their bassist was playing with a sprained wrist (cast and all), and killing it nonetheless. That’s dedication to your music if I’ve ever seen it (not that we haven’t seen artists play through worse injuries, but that’s not really the point). This band definitely has some cool stuff going on with both their music and their live show, and are manage to not be a cookie cutter act that there are a million just like. Granted, they’re not that different--music does have to remain accessible--but they do stand out enough and are talented enough songwriters and performers to be worth a listen. Not to say it absolutely will happen, but I wouldn’t be that surprised to see NGHBRS start to take off in the relatively near future; check ‘em out now so you can tell your friends you listened to them before they were cool.

Tracking for Hellomind EP