Trip-hop instrumental duo hERON (pronounced her-on) has a very inventive sound that is sure to captivate devotees of well-layered grooves and sophisticated beats. Comprised of members, Progeny (MPC, guitar, records) and Rob Castro (bass), their collaboration is a long-distant effort between Seattle and San Antonio. Progeny produces the beats and Castro plays bass over them. Once the sonic foundation has been poured, other elements are infused into the track. The brilliance of hERON’s musical ingenuity can be witnessed in the sounds of their self-titled debut album.
Consisting of twelve cinematic tracks, hERON is an epic offering that proves to be a nostalgic journey through a sonic landscape made perfect for trip-hop pioneers and devotees of the fine arts. Musically, we find many of the tracks appearing on the album to be a delightful merge of hip-hop, psychedelic rock, and 70’s pop.
What I find most attractive about the hERON album is the craftsmanship and depth of its compositions. hERON opens with the rugged and laid back Chillmode, which also sets the tone for what is to follow. Tracks like EvilFortress, One Day It All Ends, and Vagabond are among many of the album’s jewels that let us know how hERON is not just putting together simple rhythms, but creating an orchestrated masterpiece from scraps off of the dream mind’s table.
