THE MOTHER HIPS
''GREEN HILLS OF EARTH''
2001
49:52
1. Given For You/1:20
2. Life In The City/3:34
3. Take Us Out/4:21
4. Pull Us All Together/3:34
5. Singing Seems To Ease Me/3:50
6. Protein Sky/4:14
7. Channel Island Girl/3:01
8. Sarah Bellum/4:14
9. Such A Thing/3:06
10. Emotional Gold/3:00
11. Del Mar Station/4:02
12. Rich Little Girl/2:58
13. Smoke/3:47
14. Seaward Son/4:52
REVIEW
by Denise Sullivan
Bay Area band Mother Hips come over less hippie/more power popster on Green Hills of Earth. "Life in the City" has the motor drive of early-'80s U.K. new wave; "Take Us Out" has a much lazier, '70s MOR pop feeling. The Beatles could make a case against "Singing Seems to Ease Me," but then Mother Hips wouldn't be the first to take inspiration from Rubber Soul; the pure, California rock vocal choir saves them from pure plagiarism anyway. A step forward on all counts (retro-isms notwithstanding!), Green Hills finds Mother Hips in complete synch with the sonic and verbal pop zeitgeist.
BIOGRAPHY
by Zac Johnson
Formed in Chico, CA, in 1991, earthy pop jam rockers the Mother Hips moved up from bar band status through a series of regional tours and built a sizable fan base in California. Songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Tim Bluhm, guitarist Greg Loiacono, bassist Isaac Parsons, and drummer Mike Wofchuck met in the dorms of Chico State in the early '90s. Loiacono and Bluhm's harmonies and country-tinged melodies honored California's musical past -- from Merle Haggard to the Beach Boys to Neil Young. Their 1992 album, entitled Back to the Grotto, caught the ear of American Recordings, which released 1995's Part-Timer Goes Full and 1996's Shootout. This relationship led to high-profile slots on tours with Johnny Cash, Wilco, and the H.O.R.D.E. tour. Drummer Wofchuck was replaced by John Hofer for 1998's country-rock Later Days. Three years later, the band released the more pop-oriented Green Hills of Earth. As soon as the album gained notoriety, singer/guitarist Greg Loiacono decided to take a break from the group, leaving the band's status in question. In 2005, Bluhm, Loiacono, Hofer, and new bassist Paul Hoaglin resumed playing music and released the Red Tandy EP on Camera Recordsin 2006 and followed it up with the full-length Kiss the Crystal Flake in early 2007.
''GREEN HILLS OF EARTH''
2001
49:52
1. Given For You/1:20
2. Life In The City/3:34
3. Take Us Out/4:21
4. Pull Us All Together/3:34
5. Singing Seems To Ease Me/3:50
6. Protein Sky/4:14
7. Channel Island Girl/3:01
8. Sarah Bellum/4:14
9. Such A Thing/3:06
10. Emotional Gold/3:00
11. Del Mar Station/4:02
12. Rich Little Girl/2:58
13. Smoke/3:47
14. Seaward Son/4:52
REVIEW
by Denise Sullivan
Bay Area band Mother Hips come over less hippie/more power popster on Green Hills of Earth. "Life in the City" has the motor drive of early-'80s U.K. new wave; "Take Us Out" has a much lazier, '70s MOR pop feeling. The Beatles could make a case against "Singing Seems to Ease Me," but then Mother Hips wouldn't be the first to take inspiration from Rubber Soul; the pure, California rock vocal choir saves them from pure plagiarism anyway. A step forward on all counts (retro-isms notwithstanding!), Green Hills finds Mother Hips in complete synch with the sonic and verbal pop zeitgeist.
BIOGRAPHY
by Zac Johnson
Formed in Chico, CA, in 1991, earthy pop jam rockers the Mother Hips moved up from bar band status through a series of regional tours and built a sizable fan base in California. Songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Tim Bluhm, guitarist Greg Loiacono, bassist Isaac Parsons, and drummer Mike Wofchuck met in the dorms of Chico State in the early '90s. Loiacono and Bluhm's harmonies and country-tinged melodies honored California's musical past -- from Merle Haggard to the Beach Boys to Neil Young. Their 1992 album, entitled Back to the Grotto, caught the ear of American Recordings, which released 1995's Part-Timer Goes Full and 1996's Shootout. This relationship led to high-profile slots on tours with Johnny Cash, Wilco, and the H.O.R.D.E. tour. Drummer Wofchuck was replaced by John Hofer for 1998's country-rock Later Days. Three years later, the band released the more pop-oriented Green Hills of Earth. As soon as the album gained notoriety, singer/guitarist Greg Loiacono decided to take a break from the group, leaving the band's status in question. In 2005, Bluhm, Loiacono, Hofer, and new bassist Paul Hoaglin resumed playing music and released the Red Tandy EP on Camera Recordsin 2006 and followed it up with the full-length Kiss the Crystal Flake in early 2007.
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