The Hush Sound

• Genre: Indie Pop
• Hometown: Chicago
• The Hush Sound Website

About

Singer/pianist Greta Salpeter and guitarist Bob Morris formed the Hush Sound in Chicago in 2004, although the pair had been friends and musical partners for years -- since Salpeter was in 7th grade and Morris was in 10th, in fact. With Morris' background in rock music and Salpeter's training in classical piano, the duo enlisted a rhythm section and set out to construct a highly distinctive form of outsider art rock, with bouncing tempos and radical, midsong shifts in musical styles that point to broad tastes, highlighted by Salpeter's gently beautiful singing voice. Morris shares singing duties on roughly half the songs. Their Fueled by Ramen debut, So Sudden, appeared in 2005, Like Vines followed in 2006, and in 2008 the quartet released Goodbye Blues, featuring the statement-of-purpose winner "Honey."

- Mike McGuirk