Once in awhile I'm caught off guard and don't realize a record is coming out til the day it's released. I'm pretty sure that's what happened the last time Jeff Hanson released an album. Back with a third record Madam Owl, Jeff Hanson expands a bit more beyond the sound he's crafted over the last 2 albums, Son and a self-titled.At first, you may be confused...is that a guy? I can't tell? Is it? ya, no..yes I'm positive. His name is Jeff after all. If you can handle a falsetto, then you can handle him. Beyond the acoustic guitar driven tracks of cd 1 & 2, Madam Owl delves into the full band throughout most of the cd.
My favorite addition is the trumpet! I love a good song with trumpet. And this one's got two tracks with it. One reminds ya of the Legends of Brass playing at the Mercyhurst College, only more mellow. The other sounds like a low-fi soft hit's jazz trumpet, that make sense?
Sometimes Jeff breaks through the falsetto and a little Jeremy Enigk styling can be heard playing through the Enigk-esque arrangements.
So if you're looking for some nice rock, acoustic or otherwise, check him out. Here's some more songs on myspace. The following video comes from his second album.
3 comments:
Jake! Thanks for all the great posts! I've been out of town for most of the last 3 weeks and missed this one. Ann absolutely loved it and talked me into going to see him at Chop Suey. (Yeah...I bought his most recent album and saw him in concert before I read your post....)
Great show! Unfortunately there were less than 20 people there. I downloaded his first two albums off emusic and his first "Son" sounds a little more like Elliott Smith than the most recent- "Madam Owl." I agree with you and the Jeremy Enigk comparisons- particularly on Madam Owl. It also seemed like he was channeling a little Enya from the Fellowship of the Rings soundtrack.... but not in a bad way?
Yeah, great stuff. Thanks for the heads-up. And thanks, Ann for the heads-up on the heads-up (and for the invite to the show and the cranberry juice).
Ya that's how it was when I saw him with a friend down town Oly a few years ago. And even then I think most people were there for K record disappointment driscoll somebody or other.
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