Harmonies, hooks and retrospective riffs underpinned by exemplary production values.
Popularly regarded as among the leading exponents of americana in the UK, The Hanging Stars have a ten-year track record of successful albums and tours behind them. There have been a few personnel changes along the way, the most recent of which forced a rethink on their musical direction, the result being that they have gone from a five-piece to a four-piece lineup, each of whom contributes to the four-part harmonies that characterise their sound. Exactly what that sound consists of might be described as psychedelic folk, country rock or the more esoteric “jangle pop” though the band have coined their own term, Cosmic Americana (sic), which seems as good as any.
Comparison is frequently made to The Byrds and it’s surely no coincidence that among Patrick Ralla’s guitar collection is a 12-string Rickenbacker, the instrument so distinctive on their great 60’s hits and here featured in the delicious introduction to The Glasshouse. On his own composition, (Keep on) Making Me Wait, Ralla chimes in with a riff like Crowded House’s Weather With You and there’s a charming retro-feel in the chorus that could be Ray Davies and The Kinks in Tired Of Waiting For You. Even the background vocal Ba-Ba-Ba’s have that 60’s vibe, reminiscent of The Troggs’ 1966 hit, With A Girl Like You.
One Of A Kind contains many such reminders; one might even ask, Barry Norman-style, “And why not?” for The Hanging Stars’ sixth album sets out to blend the classic sounds of the past with a focus on the present. Returning to Edwyn Collins’ own studio in the Scottish Highlands for the third time, the band even put his own vintage gear to good use; Ralla plays in Collins’ band and made use of a Gretsch guitar used in Collins’ Orange Juice days and also the fuzz box heard on his best-known hit, A Girl Like You (almost sharing a title with The Troggs).
Consciously stepping out in a new direction, the London-based band enrolled Teenage Fanclub’s Gerard Love as co-producer alongside Sean Read of Dexys Midnight Runners. Love contributes vocals while Read adds vocals and keyboards and carried out further production work at his own Famous Times studio in Hackney. In the rhythm section, long-term member Paulie Cobra has stepped back from the touring side but plays drums and harmonises here along with the more recent recruit, Paul Milne from Green Seagull, who adds very melodic bass lines that quite rightly feature prominently in the mix.
There’s no doubting the quality of the playing and the production on the album, so what of the songs themselves? Opening track All Your Yesterdays will draw you in, with its opening guitar figure composed by Gerry Love on Edwyn Collins’ porch. This leads to The Glasshouse, a major to minor-key delight with a slowing tempo in the bridge before a rousing final solo and chorus. Let It Slide starts with a riff closely resembling that of the Traveling Wilburys’ Handle With Care but whether consciously or not, such echoes are all part of the zeitgeist that The Hanging Stars bring to their music.
As is customary, front man Richard Olson contributes the bulk of the writing, though he is always happy to collaborate with others and there are two co-writes here, Milne’s Show Me The Way and Just A Day, shared with Ralla. Olson’s philosophy is to capitalise on the strengths of the other musicians around him and the result is an exhilarating album of cascading riffs and rhythms, harmonies and hooks that are very much rooted in the present while paying respect to the influences that inform this innovative and gifted band.
