Sound: The most unfortunate blunder in every music listener's repertoire is that they will always have high expectations towards new albums. This is why Downward Is Heavenward failed to sell, ultimately leading to the band's destruction. What you will find on here will not live up to their one hit wonder, Stars, but is ultimately a satisfying experience.
Don't let its lack of popularity fool you, however. Downward Is Heavenward fully fleshes out the sound Hum seems to be going for: echo-ey, crunchy space rock. By combining soothing cleans with loud, crunchy distortion, they manage to create a sound very unique and epic.
While it is unfortunate that the band disbanded due to musical differences after the events following this album, it seems that Downward Is Heavenward will always remain a strong 90's rock classic. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: Matt Talbott's voice always seemed to bug me, but his lyrics were great. He could easily generate a feeling of openness through his lengthy, detailed vocals. More backup vocals would be nice, but would probably seem unnecessary when faced with the reverb of Matt's singing. // 8
Impression: This is nothing out of the ordinary coming from a group that released the beautiful "You'd Prefer An Astronaut". My only wish is that I could obtain a physical copy of it. Comin' Home seemed to be my favorite out of all songs, bearing a strong resemblance to "The Pod" in some places.
This will always remain as one my favorite albums, and hopefully will go down as one of the most remembered. // 9
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