Hannu, City Center and Mountains

Hannu
Hintergarten
(2009, Kesh)
RIYL = Colleen, Deaf Center, Aaron Martin

Following closely on the heels of their digital EP released earlier this year, Hannu has recently unveiled their sophomore full length, Hintergarten. Following closely in line with their previous work, Hannu continues to traverse and master the magically broken world that is all their own. With a mix of über-lush chamber orchestrations combined with a glitch-laden hip hop undercurrent, Hintergarten creates a bizarrely satisfying headspace reminiscent of some of the weirder stuff coming out of European labels like Fonal. Hintergarten contains some of the most beautiful and thick music that you can nod your head to. Recommended.

Hannu on MySpace


City Center
S/T
(2009, Type)
RIYL = Animal Collective, High Places, Cloudland Canyon

The solo outlet of Saturday Looks Good To Me band member, Fred Thomas, City Center adds another fledgling project into the bubbling world of outsider pop. However, Thomas’s efforts here, though easily aligned with genre overlords Animal Collective, is actually pretty dang awesome. I’ve never actually listened to Thomas’s band, but City Center breathes some fresh, creative, poppy air into the Type label. Showing a penchant for glisteningly full electronics and reverby vocals ala Brian Wilson, City Center holds its own a deftly qualified operator in a market over crowded with AC imitators. There is definitely no way City Center is going to get out from under the shadow of Panda Bear and Avey Tare, but that doesn’t mean that Thomas's project here isn’t an incredibly enjoyable record in and of itself.

City Center on MySpace



Mountains
Choral
(2009, Thrill Jockey)
RIYL = Fennesz, James Blackshaw, Eluvium

The Mountains have quickly outgrown their small Apestaartje label, and it’s easy to understand why. The mountainous sound structures that the duo regularly produces are nothing short of pure gorgeousness. Moving slowly like an impending fault line, Choral continues the well trodden path that Mountains has been travelling since their self-titled debut, tracing only the most essential shifts in their sound in order to maintain a visceral pulse embedded in the wash of its predecessors. An absolutely immaculate record of master class ambience and tranquil acoustic guitar.

Mountains on MySpace

-Thistle

Hannu - Harhailua

Hannu
Harhailua
(02.2009, Kesh)
RIYL = Lau Nau, Colleen, Deaf Center

Now here is a glistening beam of pure, beautiful oddness - and I mean that in only the most Scandinavian way. Yeah, that’s right; it’s one of those. Harhailua is the miniature follow up to Hannu’s debut album Worms In My Piano. I never got around to the debut (though I will claim cool points by having it on my list of things to check out – sorry, need all the cool points I can) and Harhailua has just assured me that this was a mistake. I will surely be backpedaling with this group. Reason being that this, the follow up, is bri-lli-ant! Gots to separate those syllables on this one folks. Composed of seven cumbersome tracks, Hannu deals with the oddities of northern European splendor in terms of analog electronics mixed with vintage classical instrumentation: you know, harps and glockenspiels and music boxes, pretty much all the stuff that is buried in dust of your long lost dead Scandinavian aunt’s attic; Hannu has stolen it. It is ok though, once you’ve heard Harhailua you will be happy that they did. Add to this a bevy of succulent sound samples from the frost bitten wild hinted at on the cover and you’ve got yourself Harhailua. It is atmospheric like you wouldn’t believe and with a resonance that must have been achieved through only the most studied sound engineering. Gorgeous gorgeous stuff. Anyway, sorry for the little gap in coverage as of late, Sass and I have been in the hospital tending to the newest addition to the FG roster. We’ll have post up by him soon. In the meantime, revel in this for it is most mightily wondrous, like a journey into an enchanted forest or something.

-Lil' Thistle

Stream of Harhailua