Unconventional and unpretentious, several of these cuts are awesome: It's You, Broke Kabala, Done Undone, The Numb.  More jaw-breaker than bubble gum.  Some 'creeper'-- after it kicks in, this is a really a good ride!
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Sound on Film:  The music of Hipmonk is low-key without being lachrymose, subtle without being obscure.  If it were part of a movie soundtrack, you would hear some of the songs in the scenes that take place in an emotionally drained young male character's apartment late at night after his heart has just gotten the living crap kicked out of it and he's sprawled out on a couch, staring at a TV tuned to a shopping channel.  The phosphor-screen flickers bluish tints onto his face.  You might hear the more upbeat selections as he drives off down a strip of busy interstate into a new life, right before the scene cuts to black and the credits roll.
So Pushing Stone is "Music to Slack by" from Slackers?  Hardly:  These guys have busy professional careers.  They only sound like they lunge around on a smelly couch, playing endless rounds of Doom before heading out to Taco Bell for some after-midnight munchies.
Bright, Shining Examples:  The sparkling acoustic guitars that dip into minor chord changes on "Too Poor."  The snap and crisp percussion and vibrant harmonies on "I Don't Remember."  The late-night lounge piano of guest performer Joni Wilcoxson that melds into lonely guitar twang on "Broke Kabala."  The snarling blues riff that underlies "It's You."
Hipmonk's Pushing Stone is lush and low-key, a solid piece of work from a set of Louisville's most experienced musicians.
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