Kurt Hagardorn – Ten Singles

this would probably fit snugly in between your Wilco and Gram Parsons albums

this would probably fit snugly in between your Wilco and Gram Parsons albums

 

http://www.kurthagardorn.com/

www.myspace.com/kurthagardorn

Ten songs. Six years. Count ’em again. Ten songs in six years. That’s six bloody years! Some would call that lazy. I’d say don’t be so hasty. It turns out, this was actually worth waiting for.

 

You’d expect songs written in different time periods to feel independent of each other, but what I find remarkable is that these all feel part of a piece. Musically, I think Hagardorn’s in complete spiritual devotion to Revolver era Beatles and the entire 1970’s output of Neil Young, but this would probably fit snugly in between your Wilco and Gram Parsons albums. Ten Singles is low tempo country rock all the way, with accordions and pedal steel guitars lying all over the place. There’s an Elliott Smith like atmosphere to the record, albeit an Elliott Smith who opened the curtains and enjoyed the sunshine for a bit. It’s very pleasing indeed.

 

Calm and peaceful at times, catchy and occasionally punchy in others, Ten Singles contains exactly what it says on the cover, ten short, sharp blasts of wholesome American country tinged pop rock. It should see you through the summer quite nicely. I just hope I don’t have to wait until 2013 for another batch.

Words : Damian Leslie