Album Review: Say Hi – Um, Uh Oh

Say Hi - Um, Uh Oh

Album Review: Say Hi – Um, Uh Oh
by: Evelyn Anne Clausen

According to its record label, Say Hi has broken up 37 times in the last decade. While this seems an obvious joke at first, as Say Hi is the one-man production of Eric Elbogen, there is some truth to the claim that Elbogen has seen his share of ups and downs in his ten year career.

Despite the occasional use of his songs for a car commercial or background music for television dramas, Elbogen’s music as Say Hi has been widely overlooked by the indie rock world. This may have been fair, as many of his previous releases were nicely arranged, unremarkable albums that presented what felt like fairly standard indie-rock/emo fare.

With the release of Um, Uh Oh, Elbogen has taken Say Hi to a remarkable new level. This is an album that deserves to be heard on headphones, not because it is so delicate, but because it evokes such a wonderfully intimate mood that is at once nostalgic and new. Elbogen’s voice is strong and plaintive, with just enough strain to make his lyrics about loss and heartbreak entirely believable.

The music itself moves from bluesy emo, to alt country tones to carefully crafted electronica, never fully settling on one sound, but keeping a clear coherence that gives the album a sense of completeness. Like Wilco’s early album Being There, or recent releases by Spoon, Um, Uh Oh is stripped down and simple but layered and lovely at the same time.

While there are no standout tracks, “Handsome Babies”, with its rolling guitar strumming and catchy hooks and “Trees Are a Swayin’”, which convincingly repeats the line “I’ll love you ‘till the end of the world” are songs that stick with you, long after the album has ended.

Listen to Um, Uh Oh by yourself, preferably in a dark room where the sounds and images contained on the album can work their subdued magic. This is an album not to miss and hopefully one that will finally bring Elbogen the recognition he deserves.

Editor’s Note: Evelyn Anne Clausen is a contributor to DeadJournalist.com. Her reviews can be seen on this site on a regular basis. You can follow her on Twitter @evelynanne or via her Web site easbrain.com.