Guest List Magazine(US):"Sometimes in order to get where you're supposed to be going in this world you have to leave where you are and go to the most logical place to start working your way down your path of destiny. This was the case for LA's Human Value. After press in the UK praised their debut album, they packed up shop, moved to London, and began to create a buzz about themselves across the Atlantic. They did however return to LA to record their sophomore effort, "Push and Pull," that has been released as the first album on lead singer Turu's newly created label Pretty Mouth Records. On this album you get a little bit of everything from the indie/alternative scene from an influence of early pioneers like Blondie to the moody, dark 90's alternative sounds of artists like PJ Harvey and Portishead. The ever-present fuzz in the guitars spreads throughout the album and seems to be a feature on every song that makes up the disc. Musically, this album runs through every influence from pop as displayed on "Hold Of Me," to early 80's alternative sounds on "Parts." However, the focal point of this album is on the lead vocals. A good majority of the time the delivery is very haunting with a sultry emphasis at times, which is what has earned Turu comparisons to PJ Harvey. The UK got this one right. While the current state of modern alternative music in the states seems to lean away from something like this at the moment, there is something special and honest about The Human Value that causes an appeal that seems to be lacking in the music world right now.
All Music (US) Oct 08: "If the Human Value prove anything on their sophomore album, it's that garagey/new wave, heavily compressed power pop dramatics will not only never go out of style, they'll probably outlive most life forms. So if on the one hand all the signifiers are utterly clear throughout Push and Pull -- the Shangri-Las, Blondie, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Primitives, the Raveonettes, the White Stripes, and many more besides -- it's hard to deny the whole thing sounds pretty great on first blush (especially the American version with the full-on glam stomp bonus track "All These Years"). Lead singer/keyboardist Turu has a strong, mannered singing style, at times very Siouxsie Sioux ("Complications No. 2" is a tribute to her vocally as it is one to My Bloody Valentine musically), whose mournful undertow blends well with Hiram Fleites' feedback, but in ways her instrumental work is even stronger -- check out the nervous keyboard tic on "No Sacrifice" -- matching Fleites' own best touches like the mean feedback zone on "Alibi."
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"PUSH AND PULL" UK Only October 07'
Artrocker(UK): "The Human Value may be a female fronted three-piece, but there's no cliche's here. Yes-leading lady Turu is hot. Indeed she has dark hair. But there's not the faintest whiff of Yeah Yeah Yeah-isms in her voice or the band's music. Dark, deranged and belonging in a mildewed basement venue of a guerilla gig each and every track on this album is a dirtbag of a song with a flicker of eerie synths and those almost baritone she-vocals. Stand out tracks 'I Don't Care' and 'No Sacrifice' are larynx-vibrating anthems laced with a venom that can't be missed. Whilst recent single, 'Hold Of Me', is a weave of feminine ballsy-balladry that's sensitive as well as spooky. So move over Beth Ditto - us gals have got a new spokeswoman in Turu. And boy does she have a lot to say."
NME(UK):
'Androngynous' is an ugly adjective - as any English literature student learns these days, gender isn't binary, it's fluid. So if THV vocalist Turu's crooning lies between PJ Harvey, Queen Adreena's Katie Jane Garside and Josh Homme, so what?...When it's given space as on "Hold Of Me"it's powerful stuff. "
ITV TELETEXT (UK): "You can never have too many feisty female singers pouting with a scowl to the thrash and grind of an electric guitar...so just where have all the Karen O's gone? New Yawk's The Human Value have their own bottom lip biter in the form of lead singer Turu who embodies darkly veiled attitude to a Placebo inspired angst ridden landscape. 'Push and Pull' does exactly what it says on the punk tin and does so in style"
CD Times (UK): "Fronted by NYC firecracker Turu, the three-piece have fashioned a ballsy and moody set of bluesy garage rock. Synths and big choruses add a pop sheen but there's a dark undercurrent traveling through the thirteen tracks, especially evident on the heavy riffs of No Sacrifice and the feedback-drenched Complications No. 2, which sounds like Interpol fronted by Siouxsie Sioux. There's no denying Turu is the trio's mainstream-baiting catch, exuding sex and feistiness as readily as her closest competitors, Karen O and Juliette Lewis. She's the star of the band but, of course, there is no star without great songs and, whether on the erupting I Don't Care or the spooky piano chug of closer Push and Pull, this album has them in abundance."
The Skinny (UK): Grounded in a thorough understanding of the power of the riff......Hmm...sludge-pop - what a great idea. Combine the three generations of psychedelic post-Beach Boys pop with New York heroin-chic rawk and blend in eight parts Melvins sludge to get the picture. This scribe doesn’t know if it is know officially cliché to describe female singers as ballsy or feisty, so I’ll stick to describing Turu’s nu-riot grrrl voice as grunge-vaudeville to avoid any gender confusion. This three-piece make a racket that could well appeal to trendy chart followers as well as trendy indie snobs. Grounded in a thorough understanding of the power of the riff, their songs revolve around tales of man-eating and husband-hunting frustrations and switch between no-nonsense head-banging whip rounds, soaring post-rock-isms and harrowing concentrated epics such as the magnificent closing title track. Like I said, great idea.
Unpeeled (UK): "Is it good? Massively so, every cheap, serotonin releasing trick in the book is shamelessly and artfully deployed to great effect.
Why? Because they pull off difficult tricks with ease, glam, goth n space rocking with intent, menace and a straight face as well as intelligence."
OHM (UK): “This is for those who like their riffs dirty, droney and depraved - think Queens of the Stone Age with Polly Harvey, Karen O and VV taking guest spots.
That's maybe a little unkind on front woman Turu, who embodies the finer qualities of said few, keeping the album spinning on an inverted axis by juxtaposing feral howls with narcotic hollers.
It bleeds dark souls from these nocturnal creatures, seemingly bred from dangerous liaisons, broken hearts and lonely nights. It swaggers to life with the plough through Pleasant Town, taking a turn for the sinister on Pretty Mouth's hark back to Bleach era Nirvana. I Don't Care eases up a little with its noodley harmonies like a finger tracing the rim of a wine glass.Two songs return reworked from the first album. Complications No 2 has now collapsed from a chugging Cramps-styled number into a wonderful crushed ballad operating under a whirring drone. Parts goes the opposite way, morphing from a tender blues ballad between Turu and guitarist / bassist Hiram Fleites into a fast paced post punk anthem. As the album progresses it feels like you've been watching them in an all night bar and the haze that follows takes effect for the psychedelic stoner rhythms on Home Is Not Real. A whirlpool of tom thumps, syrupy guitars and synth signals the Deep Blue, whilst the title track wraps things up as THV slip around on their own doomy merry-go-round.”
Subba-Culthca (UK): "To the lady who is about to rock: we salute you.
I do like a bit of girly power. The Human Value with their unlikely name, are half girl, half guy, and proof that the Spice Girls actually had no influence on females anywhere, ever, after the age of 5. To make music this good, the whole “girl power” phase must have passed Turu (vocals/keys/percussion/piano) by combining a vocal style reminiscent of Amanda of Dresden Dolls, and a smart sensibility for making cool music, The Human Value succeed where few have ever excelled they make awesome music that’s eminently accessible. Let’s face it, the presence of girls in rock bands tends not to bode too well for a band’s success. Just take pop-rock flash in the pan Hepburn, or any of the other all-girl bands that sprang up in the late 90’s. Style, credibility and talent were not words ever used in the same sentence. These days there’s a new breed of girls with guitars. Juanita Stein of Howling Bells, Amanda Palmer of Dresden Dolls, Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, all represent the ladies. With Turu’s irrepressibly chic vocals and penchant for writing cool, sexy music, Push and Pull feels like a momentary glimpse into a world of potential, which is why the fact that the band have had to relocate from LA to London just to get noticed is all the more inexplicable. Perhaps it’s got something to with the fact that some of us kids in blighty are actually able to separate ourselves from the mainstream and appreciate genuinely good new music. I can’t help feeling I’ve heard ‘Hold Of Me’ somewhere before. Not in a bad ripping off someone else’s song kind of a way, but in a “that’s so catchy I MUST have heard it before” way. There are elements of a brit-poppy sound in ‘I Don’t care’, as well as a dash of emo - for some reason, opener ‘Pleasant Town’ reminds me of Placebo. Whatever the genre, the music is damn good and just what the world has been waiting for."
RoomThirteen (UK): “Human Value's mix of almost 80's electro and early 90's grunge is most easy to compare to the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, perhaps married to the experimental urges of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The grimey likes of punchy 2 minute wonder, 'Pretty Mouth' with its cries of, "I would keep your mouth shut" is a stark contrast to the pouty, 'I Don't Care', which for the first time on the record features a clean guitar sound until its raging peak……..'Alibi's feisty vocals, "Why do you leave me so hard when I am full of scars" are a stark contrast to the kind of clinical tone of many singers matched with such fuzzy guitar rock. 'Parts' on the other hand, is a fierce pop tune with searing guitars and monochrome vocals.The dramatic title track, 'Push and Pull' is the undisputed high point of the album, featuring a creepy backing and anguished vocals; this vitriolic and poignant number is the fine culmination of all the vague, intriguing tunes before it.”
New Noise (UK): “The human value are a fabulously dark and brooding female-fronted New York three-piece band who mix the moodier aspects of their sound wonderfully with catchier, poppier hooks….. There’s bags of potential in this record that could one day produce something quite brilliant”
Manchester Music (UK): “Almost exactly a year after their eponymous album, Turu and Hiram are back with another extended batch of their neatly carved darkly tinged mix of fuzzy rock. Turu has a kind of velvety slightly sleazy vocal style that skips out a tine between the merest hint of a sneer. The solid bass and guitars point toward bigger stages and even on the slower parts (“I don’t care”), make way for big rousing conclusions that pick up on an earlier career of Polly Jean.”
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2007 "HOLD OF ME" SINGLE QUTOES:
ITV (UK TV): "Imagine Blondie popping up to do vocals for The Strokes & you'll be somewhere close. It's sexy, it's cool, get hold of it!" 8/10
Contact Music (UK): "Hold Of Me is a dark melodic track that mixed with a heavy baseline and not forgetting Turu's mesmerising vocals make to be an interesting song......This is the kind of track that you would expect Zane Lowe to grab hold of and give it the credit in which it deserves"
Glasswerk (UK): "There is something addictive in the song, which demands that you listen over and over........‘Hold Of Me’ is a bass laden single, which pounds along with repetitive lyrics (“I don’t need your love darlin’, I don’t want your love”) building the atmosphere to create a distinctive dark grunge sound that nevertheless recalls PJ Harvey and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs."
High Voltage (UK): "There is a current trend for saying that women in music have "balls" when really they just wear high heels and pout in their videos. The Human Value's vocalist, Turu, on the other hand, has the kind of voice that you would expect to win arm wrestling tournaments. Starting with some electrifying post-punk guitar, 'Hold Of Me' harks back to Joy Division's gloomy pop, but with an added New York City uber-gutsy vocal performance that comes in various shades of grunge. This is a song that could be by Hole or 4 Non-Blondes, and when "something's making me fall apart" is sung, Turu channels a vitriolic Siouxie Sioux. All this is very commendable of course, as music has been crying out for an empowered female voice to come and wipe the smirk off Lily Allen's face for quite some time"
Manchester Music (.co.uk) (UK): "they provide ample doses of gothic post shoegaze Britpop welded to New York female fronted rock and roll"
Last Broadcast (UK): “Let's get this straight”, says the press release, “The Human Value are not just another female-fronted New Yawker project”. Quite right. Female lead singer and New Yorker Turu provides a truly sex drenched vocal to this fuzzed-up belter. The Pixies-esque verse soon gives way to a deliciously distorted chorus: “I don’t want your love/ You better jump, jump, jump darling”, wails Turu. Questionable advice, but a cracking hook. There’s a real energy here, hinting that The Human Value may be a dynamite live act. Turu is blessed of a truly remarkable voice. Marvelous stuff, go buy it."
I Really Love Music (UK): "the band have managed to continue along their path with an updated take on goth pop with a nice underlying fuzzed up bass line, phased guitars, and bad tempered sultry female vocals which given the right chances, could gather quite a solid following amongst the tatoo’d up crowds. as well as the regular radio friendly normal version, there is another aimed at the glitter ball crowd, but for once, the band have resisted the shine of dirty electro that’s currently swamping the remix rotas, and actually crafted a remix that harks back to the world of pure techno, with straight up pounding 4/4 machine music, synthetic strings and delightful acid overtones, yet maintaining the song structure tight. for added bonus, there’s even a section where the beats are screwed down to a slow motion speed, just like li’l loius did all those years ago with his world storming french kiss. hopefully the band find their destiny, and the adventure pays off, which if they continue to make music as enjoyable as this, should definitely be possible."
Music Spotlight (UK): “Hold Of Me” proves to be a fairly impressive outing which makes good use of the impressive vocal talents of lead singer Turu while blending them effectively with the short, sharp slice of dark disco rock being created by her fellow band members....Indeed, the chorus section with its repeated refrain is likely to stick in your head long after the final tones have faded away, while the dark and brooding bass lines add another dimension to the song to ensure it stands out from the crowd."
Unearthed Treasures(UK): "The song begins with singer Turu's swathing, calculating vocals that explode into a wave of dirty guitars and crashing cymbals. The single balances a fine line between having some rough guts, but also by having enough singularity to be a showcase song. A band to look out for."
Subba-Cultcha(UK): "Vaudevillian shapes thrown with the excitable delivery of Elastica via the warped riffing of Queen Of The Stone Age, THV are cosmic rock at it’s best"
Rock City(UK): "..it grows, seeding itself in your brain before suddenly flowering, and you find yourself singing along ‘..i don’t need your love, you better jump jump jump darling…’ to this fist in the air anthem."
New Noise(UK): "Pulsing with the unusual nasal vowels of sultry vocalist Turu and offset by the slung low guitar of Hiram Fleites who punches through every turgid chord break he can think of. The result is crowds will always be full of cool leather jackets and tousled haircuts."
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LIVE QUOTES:
FeedYourHead.com (US): "The fog cleared and the lights became brighter and The Human Value took a turn on stage. Their music is kind of wild and punky and loud, but lead singer Turu is a sight to see. A one-woman spectacle, she dances, yelps, moans, pulls her hair and practically does a flamenco dance. She reminded me of a hopped up 'Anita' from West Side Story. I thought she was a star; lot's of charisma, charm, raw talent in a high-explosive package. The music's a bit rough and edgy, not really my favorite genre, but there's no denying this band's tremendous talent."
Subba-Cultcha (UK): "with the first wailing tones of feedback that announce the bands
arrival on stage, the rooms fills up with those who had been
loitering next door and, looking a little more relaxed, the band
launch into a rousing version of ‘Pleasant Town’, it’s swirling
synths and punchy guitars matched by some superb drumming from the
band’s newest and youngest recruit, but the real star is Turu’s
vocals. Her voice is immensely powerful and you get the feeling it
would be impossible to hold it back even in a sound proofed room.
She has tone and timbre and great character within her vocals that
give the band an extra edge and add to this her stage presence and
the recipe is there for something bigger to develop.
Three piece drums-guitar-female vocals are enjoying a period of
reverence and success at the moment that has grown from the huge
unit-shifting exploits of the Gossip and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a
minor movement characterised by bands comprising of individuals
with huge talents for both musicianship and song-writing, and for
creating something immense and intricate from the bare bones of
sonic minimalism. The Human Value are the latest in this trend and
it’s to be hoped that similar success is just around the corner for
them.
The remainder of the band’s set sees them plough through the new
album, give away some free vinyl and close the gig with a superb
version of ‘No Sacrifice’, Turu’s vocals primeval almost, Fleites
hammering his guitar and providing the backdrop for Turu to wail
and holler above, changing the whole song’s direction with one riff
after another. The overall result is a full frontal assault from
one of the most underrated band’s in the world at the moment and an
unqualified success."
Amateur Chemist (US)July 08: The Human Value didn't mess around. They rocked the audience from start to finish holding a good majority of the Spaceland audience with an all out performance that I have rarely witnessed in the late slot. The Human Value is composed of the dynamic duo of Turu (Vocals) and Hiram Fleites(Guitars). Hiram was carrying the sonic load with his Epiphone hollowbody guitar that doubled as guitar and bass. "Pleasant Town" from their album "Push and Pull" served as the first punch to the face with its brutal guitar/bass lead as Turu raced around the stage manically. The Human Value would fall into the realm of high octane garage rock with gothic inspiration from Siouxsie and the Banshees. Turu pulled out the cowbell and stated she won a Grammy for "Pretty Mouth" as they continued to bludgeon the audience with Hiram's heavy riffs. Turu also grabbed Heisenflei in front of the stage and gave her a personal dedication as they tore into song. Their set had a sense of unpredictability and danger that is rarely seen in live shows. I especially enjoyed Hiram's leap from his amp to punctuate the set. That is what I call a rock and roll show.
Amateur Chemist(US) Sept 08: "The Human Value have yet to fail me in putting on an energetic live show. Turu (Vocals) started the evening triggering various glitches from a miniature Korg Kaossilator before tearing into "Pleasant Town". Hiram Fleites (Guitars) filled Spaceland with his split signal running into a Ampeg Bass Cab and Fender guitar amp. The Human Value will soon release their album Push And Pull in the states with a special vinyl release that includes a few bonus tracks. "Pretty Mouth" continued the fierce storm of noise as Turu banged on her stand alone drum and would occasionally drop to the floor. Turu recently started up Pretty Mouth records to sign a slew of bands they discovered in their stint out in the UK. The Human Value even worked through "All These Years" which is one of the bonus tracks from their album. "I Don't Care" closed out the evening in raucous fashion with stage looking like a whirlwind had made its rounds. The Human Value will be at the Eagle Rock Music Festival on Oct 4th at the Kingsize Labs stage so make sure to check them out."
Clash Magazine (Live @ ITC UK): "The Human Value, an American band who come to Manchester every year for the conference were next on our lists. Their adventurous, New York howl saw a change of pace at Squares. Dark pop which brought Souxie and The Banshees to mind, all three band members mashed up their well penned riffs with ruthless drums and the quality vocals of front woman Turu set the band apart and hopefully they’ll get the good bit of spin they deserve from this years event."
The Fly (UK): "Hypnotically serpentine front woman with a thrillingly fluid yowl? Sinuous drummer who turns into a cyclonic juggernaut at the whiff of his sticks? Nonchalant third member who flings out deceptively complex guitar with such rabid intensity that you could almost forget there’s not a bassist in sight? Why, this bunch are practically the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with added PJ Harvey, and, in the stompsome clarion call of ‘Parts’, they’ve even got their own ‘bang’. They are the Human Value. We are not worthy."
Glasswerks (UK):"Formerly US Based indie, electronica band The Human Value have taken it upon themselves to take a break from dives like LA’s The Viper Room and have relocated over here to show us how it’s done. A three-piece act comprising one bearded and capped guitarist, a very young looking drummer and the obligatory sultry looking vocalist – so far so expected - but this troupe have aces up their sleeves and a lot of it comes in the form of raw power. It’s very early Siouxsie and the Banshees that spring to mind. North and Central London clubs should watch out for this trio of very talented artists. Turu’s voice seems to want to try to drown out the rest of the band at times, but there is nothing of the sort happening here. All members of the band uphold their own and bring a hard intensity to an otherwise static stage at JoJos. There is also enough range in their repertoire that they don't sound like just another retro punk act."
NME/Radar Live picks THV as one of only 10 from hundreds @ ITC:
“(Turu’s)…thrilling wail charges the NYC band’s dark swathes of mood-pop”
Nemesis 07' (UK):“The wall of guitar-noise cranks up, half way between a shimmer and a shudder, and sometimes both at once. Drums crash and crump, exact and economical and yet filling the place with sound. The Human Value have that knack of creating a big racket from a minimal line-up, and while they're by no means the only band around these days to do this, there's a kind of steel-blue coolness about this band that lifts them above most of the other thrashers and bashers on the circuit these days.
Vocalist Turu lets rip with her gritty punk-blues wail, a voice that reminds you of every late night you've ever had in a backstreet bar, up-ending bottles until the bleary dawn. Or perhaps that's just my idea of a good time. Guitarist Hiram conjures sounds from his instrument that guitars just shouldn't be able to make - he's a one-man sonic storm, an entire band in six strings and a few effects pedals. The set is mostly new stuff, a somewhat academic point for tonight's audience, most of whom are unfamiliar with the band, but it does demonstrate the essential point about The Human Value: they never stop pushing forward. The assembled indie-heads seem to like it, that's for sure. By the time the set scrambles to a conclusion, the final guitar chords clanging like corrugated iron in a strong wind, The Human Value have added a few more converts to their cause. They'll recruit their barmy army yet”
Classical Geek Theatre (US):The first thing to say about The Human Value is that their frontwoman is a really good entertainer. The second thing I would say, in that same vein, is that the band plays for the audience. Sonically... comparissons to Iggy, PJ Harvey, and The Dresden Dolls would have some kind of merit. Worth your time? Sure, you bet.
Nemesis 06' (UK): “Their music is full of edges and angles, scrapes and collisions, like a speeded-up film of rush hour traffic. Bumps and tumbles, a big, rolling, motorized sound, Turu's vocal pulling it along and imposing a cross grained authority on every song. Yet the band never loses control. Even when they rampage through 'Give Me', their new single, running red lights all the way and definitely exceeding the speed limit, there's a sense that they're clinging firmly to the steering wheel of their careering juggernaut. Hiram's guitar sound swells and crashes, filling the room with sound. The Human Value on record: taut, precise, tipping their hats to the speed cops even as they feather the accelerator. And then there's The Human Value on stage: turning it up to twelve, and giving us all a white-knuckle ride."
Drunken WereWolf (UK): “The Human Value’s Turu and Hiram deliver a fantastic set, that manages to be energetic and make me dance like a fool… Obscenely catchy melodies carrying emotionally convincing lyrics, sung by one of the largest pair of lungs you’ll hear these days…”
ThePorter.co.uk (UK): "Who needs values when there are bands like this, introducing The Human Value... This Human Value is about getting lost, throwing it all away for this beautiful rock n’ roll moment and if a band can make somebody else do that for one minute of their shit, routine-built, over-looked, systematic hell for a life then that is worth more than all the money in the world."
HedMag (UK): "THV must have the hardest working female singer in music today. Turu, your vocals are a powerhouse and sometimes I sit there almost convinced that at some stage they must crack under pressure, but they never do. And Hiram's one man guitar sounds so full that the addition of any other instrumentalist is not needed. New drummer, who I was intoduced to as Brutus, hit those skins with such precision that my lobes shook even though I was about 20 metres from the stage."
UK-FUSION: "... The Human Value prove they’re bona fide rock stars all righty, Blighty... Lead singer Turu makes her mike look like an extension of her mouth so close is her relationship with it and guitarist Hiram strums, effortlessly displaying his strategically-placed Fred-Perryesque tattoo to all and sundry whilst doing so."
Music-News.com (UK): "The Human Value is a classic case of a band being more impressive, more varied and more affecting live than can ever be reproduced in a recording...Kept the audience transfixed until the very last note"
HedMagazine (UK): "The last song just blew my two odd socks off me. There was Patti Smith in there, aided and abetted by Chrissie Hynde! This band rocked - in the purest sense."
Venue Magazine (UK): "they grind out raw, stripped-down rock closer to Suicide fronted by Karen O than blues-based duos like The White Stripes. It's a big fat confident sound."
The Tube Club (UK): "The Human Value kindly passed by our club and it was obvious that they had embarked on a tour because their music was so tight and purring along like a wild cat... All adept at their own instruments and fronted by a fantastic sounding female."
InFlightAtNight (US): "Their set was intense with singer/keyboardist Turu belting out their songs and flailing around with reckless abandon... Hiram's, the guitarist, sound is so loud and powerful, as he runs through a bass and guitar cab..."
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2006 DEBUT ALBUM REVIEW QUOTES:
Revolt Media (US):"Lead-singer Turu’s occasionally androgynous sounding voice weaves its way through Hiram’s work on the guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. The band’s line-up may be simplistic, but listeners should not make the mistake of thinking The Human Value’s music is simplistic, because this misconception could not be further from the truth.
PlugInMusic (US):"A blend of old monster movies and new wave punk rock, the album buries bright melodies under heavy instrumentation while the dark and smooth vocals of frontwoman Turu beckon listeners further into the intense and mysterious music."
MusicTap.net (UK): “The Human Value plays a punkish pop that is full of all the right stuff that makes for great sounding records. It is also a disc that I went back to several times after hearing it. That's a sign of a good record, when you just can't seem to move on to the next album because the one you've just heard won't leave your brain yet… The album contains 13 tracks, all of them excellent, and all worth your time. The Human Value's debut is very contagious and extremely viral. Once inside your head, it's hard to get out. 4/5 Stars”
Creem Magazine (US): "The Human Value come out swinging on their self titled debut…. 'Give Me' sounds like a ready-made alterna-radio hit just waiting to happen."
AAPA (The Netherlands): “This debut album is captivating, at times both eerie and dazzling, abstruse yet arousing, and unique in that it is able to awaken all our emotions in a truly original and exhilarating way. There is not one duff or filler track on the entire album (take note The Killers!), while singer Turu has a fantastic voice, capable of tons of variation and range…. This is an excellent debut album; it is also very provocative and it ensnares you in both a menacing and a stirring way. - 8.5/10”
Incendiary Magazine (UK): "It groans… it grinds and it’ll get you all hot under the collar."
Get Ready To Rock (UK): "…this album is a breath of fresh air in a stale music scene."
The Skinny (UK): "The Human Value are a soon-to-be-popular American boy-girl new-wave beat combo with peculiar names, low, scuzzy guitars, gothic melodies and sensuous female vocals, who are very reminiscent of Siouxsie & The Banshees - and they are perfect."
Nemesis (UK): "The band's sound is a splendid combination of gritty, buzzing, clanging guitar and Turu's world-weary, after-closing-time vocals. The rhythms are neatly convincing, rattling everything along like the last train home. It all hangs together ludicrously well, and the songs themselves are little things of beauty."
Really Love Music (UK): "First and by far the best thing in recent times for me."
UK Music Search (UK): "...the band stake their claim as future pop stars - a song dripping with attitude, energy and catchy hooks. Singer Turu purrs along with rock menace whilst guitarist Hiram weaves fuzzy guitar magic, propelling you along and leaving you breathless and happy.
This Is Ull (UK): "Title track ‘Give Me’ gives way to Nashville 5, which is a simply mesmerizing piece of music blessed with Turu's extraordinary vocals. The distinctive guitar chug also sees through ‘Somebody’ and ‘She’ in style, with the dark vibes and classy melody-lines ensuring that this band is truly one to watch."
Diva Magazine (UK): Full page picture feature
Musicfolio Top 20 Albums of 2006
Rhythm & Booze (UK): "The Human Value offer up a unique brand of music that far exceeds the sum of their influences, you can expect big things for this band so beat the rush and check them out now."
Alternative Nation (UK): "These guys have a very unique resonance that is more ‘inspired by’ than ‘copied from’ the aforementioned greats. They have stamped a very prominent identity over their music, definite pop overtones, but with a sleazy, seductive quality running through its veins and oozing into your soul."
Heathen Angel (UK): "The new wave crave is marching to the UK and the potential leaders of it, America’s The Human Value, capture a buzzing sound and shake it like it’s a poor man’s money box."
Bruise Magazine (US): "That raw emotion and the deep connection between Turu and Hiram are evident in the harmonies. The layers of distorted guitar and throbbing rhythms make fine companions to Turu’s soulful purr. The music is steeped in the dark and heavy, the sensual and quite melodic. The heavily textured record is thick with a sound that draws you in and envelops you. The themes of the songs are human, universal, relatable."
Crave (US): "In a scene that owned the 80’s, The Human Value exploit their old school influences but push forward with their own sound that will set the standard for years to come."
Slug (US): "Baby, I think I wanna take you for a ride. Ex-Kittens for Christian member Hiram Fleites is The Human Value’s mastermind, woo-ah ha ha. Think guitars so laden with splendid buzz that they’d give the Raveonettes a run for their money."
Popentertainment (US): "Yet, the Human Value is not just a retro band. With sultry vocals by Turu anchoring most of the songs, there is a wonderful timelessness to much of this debut album."
UK-Fusion.com (UK): "Possessing the capacity to monkey about with your heart beat, The Human Value are one potent arsenal of noise. Turu herself has special powers. She could give the most slumberous of men sleepless nights."
STV (UK): "...this eponymous debut album is intense and atmospheric; creepy, sexy, and exciting. You'll be spellbound."
Glasswerk (UK): "...this trio of musical liberators from the West Coast, led by the provocative pitch of vocalist Turu, erects a solid foundation from which to project their carpe diem message."
Jointz (US): "There s something undeniably nostalgic about the music of The Human Value. It is reminiscent of everything good about the 80's: driving beat, dark synths, smoldering vocals, and intense lyrics. But this is no retro band."
this stuff is rad! howd you get your music on dexter?! teach me=] hope you like my music=] i have moore with my band pacifica(myspace.com/pacifica) addd us!
