Cory Hanson Albums

2023

Western Cum - 96%

With his album , Hanson displays both a guitar virtuoso attitude as well as the soul of a 70’s singer songwriter. Opening one-two punch of “Wings” and “Houselfy” set the tone for the album, though it often veers uncontrollably as it goes, which separates Hanson’s work from his contemporaries. Unpredictability does not often apply to country music, and it helps that his previous back catalogue (fronting the LA band Wand for much of the 2010’s) shows here. The often insane guitar distortions somehow mix well with the at time loud blurring guitars, the biggest juxtaposition being “Persuasion Architecture”, which I promise is a valid expression of that over used pretentious word! For the most part super accessible, Hanson’s’ high voice recalls Neil Young or Doug Martsch at their post spaced out, while his guitar playing comes from a different school, at times the neurotic school of New Wave acts like Talking Heads at times glorious troubadours like Grateful Dead: see the 10 plus minute “Driving Through Heaven” which morphs from sublime road-trip instrumental to a breakdown of country music balladry in the middle, then building back up to a Television style guitar work out!

The three best songs prove Hanson and his band a talent worth cherishing: The Harvest era Neil Young homage of “Ghost Ship” somehow updated to the 2020’s with the most memorable chorus; The bouncing guitar riffs of “Horsebait Sabotage” that recall the best of Blue Oyster Cult (and in a lot of ways, BOC’s random mix of styles fits right here with Hanson’s.); and the closing, touching “Motion Sickness” which is somehow a perfect closer and sums everything up building to a huge emotional climax with echoes of Thom Yorke fronting a country rock band. While Cory Hanson walks that strange line between making great, old fashioned  FM radio music but also going out of his way to self sabotage and test the listener’s courage.

I rarely say this but I’m sure if I’ve ever heard quite a mix of styles before, the great 1970s guitar groups like Thin Lizzy meet the primal distortion of grunge music like Soundgarden and then somehow the complex virtuosos break down noise rock like Sonic Youth at times, and the main music is Country rock? Some how it all works though, which makes me want to dive back into Hanson’s diverse catalogue as soon as I can.

Best Songs: Horsebait Sabotage, Ghost Ship, Motion Sickness, Persuasion Architecture