#TBT #7

For Throwback Thursday every week we're going to shine our poplight on a stone cold classic.

For Throwback Thursday this week we're featuring an absolute pop banger from a band Nashville natives that you may not have hear of, but really should. Ladies, gents and anyone else I'm talking about Venus Hum with 'Montana'!

The band consists of vocalist Annette Strean and multi-instrumentalists Kip Kubin and Tony Miracle. Interestingly Miracle is responsible for the band's name in quite an unusual way, he has a medical condition where he constantly hears his own heartbeat in his ears which is called 'venous hum' - TA DAH (do you see what they did there??)!

The band have an interesting genre-hopping sound from the Massive Attack/Zero 7 sounds of 'Save the World' to the more Bjork-ian rhythms featured in 'Soul Sloshing' and gorgeous folk-flecked acoustic moodiness of 'Turn Me Around'.

The song in question, 'Montana', is a single from their 2003 album 'Big Beautiful Sky' and is a gorgeous slice of accessible dance-pop that starts with wind chimes and then hits the ground running, the crisps beats and buzzy bassline perfectly complimented by Annette's dreamy vocal. Speaking of that lead vocal it mixes equal pinches of Bjork and Tori Amos to perfect effect - unique but accessible - not easy! A filtered breakdown offers a mere moment of clam before the song takes flight with Annette's vocals building the already palpable feeling of euphoria (in case you hadn't already guessed I'm quite a fan!).

Big beautiful sky indeed! Annette also features on a quite brilliant cover of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' by The Blue Man Group which is worth a listen.

You can follow Venus Hum on social media:

twitter - @VenusHumBand

facebook - Venus Hum