By Darren Young
To listen to Venus Hum and imagine that there are only three members seems absurd, but fact is fact, and despite all of the sounds created on The Colors in the Wheel there are only three people making them.
The Colors in the Wheel is an ambitious electro-pop album laden with Wurlitzers, vibraphones and innumerable studio effects. Though artists often make these sounds loop into an infinity of repetitive nothingness, Venus Hum avoids such a fate thanks to the superb production and computer manipulation used on The Colors in the Wheel. For instance, the album opener “Turn Me Around” was recorded using only an acoustic guitar. It sounds as though there’s a drum accompaniment, but all of the percussive sounds are digitally manipulated acoustic guitar.
Venus Hum’s ingenuity, however, only takes them so far. Eventually, it’s apparent the vocalist has been subjected to unlawful amounts of Sarah McLachlan and other such sappy singers. The influence is far too overpowering in certain songs.
Even though the vocals can be overly sugary, The Colors in the Wheel is filled with some extremely competent offerings. Maybe three members are a charm, even if a pseudo-Sarah McLachlan is one of them.