''Downward Is Heavenward'' is the fourth studio album by the

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alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Hum Hum may refer to: Science * Hum (sound), a sound produced with closed lips, or by insects, or other periodic motion * Mains hum, an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon * The Hum, an acoustic phenomenon * Venous hum, a physiological sensation ...

Release

''Downward Is Heavenward'' was recorded in 1997, and first released on January 27, 1998, by

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. Some websites such as

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

list it as being a 1997 album rather than a 1998 album, presumably because all versions of the album bear a 1997 copyright date. The title of the album appears as a lyric in "Afternoon with the Axolotls".

Reception

Despite selling fewer copies than its predecessor ''

You'd Prefer an Astronaut ''You'd Prefer an Astronaut'' is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Hum, released on April 11, 1995, by RCA Records as their major label debut. The title of the album is a lyric lifted from the song "I'd Like Your Hair Lo ...

'', the album was critically acclaimed. Brent DiCrescenzo from

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praised the abrasive but graceful nature of the album, writing, "A listen to ''Downward Is Heavenward'' actually scrubs off a layer of skin, yet Hum still manage to infuse grace and control into their skyward swirl." Ned Raggett from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote, "Having scored their fluke hit with ' Stars', Hum hunkered down and created a follow-up album that went nowhere, leading to the band's splintering. An unfortunate result all around, because, arguably, ''Downward Is Heavenward'' isn't merely the group's best album, but a lost classic of '90s rock, period." In 1999,

placed the album at #81 on their top 100 albums of the 1990s.

Track listing

#"Isle of the Cheetah" – 6:38 #" Comin' Home" – 2:45 #"If You Are to Bloom" – 5:11 #"Ms. Lazarus" – 3:38 #"Afternoon with the Axolotls" – 6:27 #"Green to Me" – 3:56 #"Dreamboat" – 6:07 #"The Inuit Promise" – 6:07 #"Apollo" – 5:47 #"The Scientists" – 5:26 Bonus single (received by fans who pre-ordered the album) #"Puppets" – 4:11 #"Aphids" – 6:08 2018 vinyl release bonus tracks #

"Puppets" – 4:11 #"Aphids" – 6:08 #"Boy with Stick" – 5:42

Personnel

:Hum *Jeff Dimpsey –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

*Tim Lash –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Bryan St. Pere –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Matt Talbott – guitar,

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

:Additional personnel *Mark Rubel –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

References

{{Authority control 1998 albums Hum (band) albums RCA Records albums