Tuesday, May 01, 2007

The Hazey Janes - 'Hotel Radio'


Their name is derived from a song (or actually two) by Nick Drake, but they extend beyond simply folk; you'll also find country-tinged rock with some stomping powerpop thrown in for good measure. They have a fine ear for strong melodies, and a musician friend of mine reckons they are THE best harmony band around, bar none.

'Hotel Radio' is their first full studio album, a follow-up to their debut mini-album 'The Hazey Janes' (also well worth a listen - 'After All' is a great track, and a live favourite). Lovely jangly guitars open the album at the start of 'Always There', indicating some Byrdsian influences. The country feel comes through on 'Moanin' Face' and there's something Beatlesque about 'Get Down'. It's fairly difficult for me to choose a favourite track, but I'd have to go for 'Your Enemy' - an absolutely stunning powerpop gem. (And it sounds simply amazing played live - it overflows with energy and confidence).
Buy it from their site, their label, NotLame, Amazon and so on (don't confuse them with a female singer who was using a similar name for a while). Good news is that the next album is in the works.