Duran Duran meets Rush? Well, that\'s certainly what California\'s Humanzee sometimes sounds like. The self-proclaimed \"alt/prog/pop/rock band\" opens its second album, After the Aftermath, with \"Don\'t Close Your Eyes,\" which highlights vocalist Tim Agee\'s Simon LeBon tendencies — and the slow-burn groove of \"Charades\" further accentuates them. On other songs, such as \"The Closing Curtain\" and \"Time Rules Over Us,\" the rhythm section of Eli Colvin and Roger Reese takes on the distinct polyrhythmic characteristics of Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. \"Another Moment\" percolates like Rush, and the sonic backdrop for \"Strange Light\" could be lifted from an old U2 record.

That\'s not to say that Humanzee is a knock-off of any band. In fact, the trio takes a creative approach to channeling its influences — so much so that it\'s difficult to slot Humanzee into any specific genre. And that should be enough for After the Aftermath to keep open-minded listeners both captive and satisfied.
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This power trio from California plays a good mix of Rush-inspired heavy alt-rock. With Tim Agee on high pitched vocals and mostly distorted guitars, Eli Colvin on melodic bass and Roger Reese on rhythmic drums. The high quality of instrumentalism allows the band to move quickly between staggered phrases or dwell on long passages to allow for solo spots. Tim Agee\'s overdubbed harmonized vocals constantly carry the melody and fill out each track. 

Humanzee likes to straddle the genres between post-rock, metal with some adjective and AOR. Besides the music, the band shows a DIY spirit in the marketing art and literature (where Tim could use some lessons in basic English). This DIY spirit is characteristic of most indie bands today that eschew the traditional route of courting a label. They write and record the music and produce the marketing, getting out the word on the band and then get out and do shows. This makes it harder to get known nationally, but puts the band in control. We as music fans need to keep our ears open for new bands such as Humanzee.
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