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(2018) Hales Corner - Hales Corner
Review:
A lot has changed for Hales Corner since their 2016 debut album ‘Garden
View’. Wes and Caleb, the band’s founding members, left Bloomington, Indiana, to begin playing and writing songs
with a new drummer and bassist in a shared house on the south side of Indianapolis.
Recording at Melt Audio in
Indianapolis provided a perfect marriage between the band’s early, self-recorded sound and their dynamic live feel. As
before, the intricate guitar interplay between Wes and Caleb remains the beating heart of each track, from the opening
notes of the first song “Welcome” to the striking chorus of album-standout “Trixies” to the charming verses of
“Cradles”. However, the additions of Earl on drums, Ben on bass, Chelsea (Wes’ sister) on backing vocals, and Wes
himself on clarinet further enliven the music; the songs are fuller and more vibrant than ever. It all comes together on
bluesy, slow-burner “Reminder”, with energetic, yet patient drumming and a sunbaked chorus that features Chelsea’s
harmonies and a smooth clarinet purr.
Lyrically, the band has never been one for starry-eyed optimism, and these
songs are once again painfully grounded. The first track, “Welcome”, really sets the tone: “welcome to the daily
grind / you’ll find your time / wasted before your eyes”. Whether the openhearted and empathetic “we’re all
selling ourselves in this life” of “Whores” or the conflicted “they say the city has gone to the dogs” of
“Trixies”, Hales Corner refuse to shy away from what they see happening to themselves and those around them. It’s
earnest and honest songwriting.
Caleb sums it up best: “The album isn’t, or shouldn’t be pitched as us
bitching about the stuff we all have to deal with, but more of how that stuff can be unifying, absolving, and hopeful if
you choose to actually look at it.”
Tracklist:
01. Welcome.flac
02. Lachrymose.flac
03. Reminder.flac
04. Whores.flac
05. Trixies.flac
06. Camel.flac
07. Selling Ourselves.flac
08. See Me Out.flac
09. Cradles.flac
10. Sadswell.flac
11. Mysteries.flac
Summary:
Country: USA
Genre: indie-folk, indie-rock
Media Report:
Source : CD
Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : ~ 1500-1600 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits[/b] |
