Remy Zero : The Golden Hum

I’m looking forward to the day when the debut album from Jeffrey Cain and the Church’s Steve Kilbey comes out in the US. Cain was previously the guitarist for the underappreciated band Remy Zero, too often compared to Radiohead and U2, which might or might not have led to their demise in 2003. More known for their singer’s marriage to Alyssa Milano and their subsequent hit song, “Save Me,” which became the theme for the show Smallville, Remy Zero deserved better.

Cinjun Tate has one of the best voices in rock and roll. To listen to his bittersweet vocals is to bask in radiance. The band’s last album, The Golden Hum, marked such an artistic high for them that I am stunned they didn’t break out to the masses. “Out / In,” “Glorious #1” and “Bitter” were perfectly crafted pieces destined for repeated radio airplay. It’s no wonder that “Save Me,” the best song on the album, became such a huge anthem for television. But how did the song not lead others to the album as a whole?

I go back and forth between my favorite Remy Zero albums, from their eponymous debut, to the delicate and beautiful Villa Elaine with the majestic “Life in Rain” and the now famous “Fair” featured in the film Garden State, and finally to this, their last album. Hopefully one day the band will get its props. In the meantime, I can only hope that all of the solo projects coming, particularly Cain’s and then eventually Cinjun Tate’s, will yield magic to rival that of their former incarnation. Remy Zero, gone before their time.

Similar Albums:
U2- Achtung Baby
Radiohead- Pablo Honey
Placebo- Without You, I’m Nothing