King Hannah and '68

Today another duo of albums, by duos as well, that fell off the huge pile of albums that amass over the weeks, but are worthwhile to visit or so I've found out recently. So here comes a somewhat shorter review but, so I hope, no less interesting.

Tell Me Your Mind And I'll Tell You Mine. King Hannah

King Hannah, the Liverpudlian duo Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle, debuted on this blog recently with a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song, it released as a single. The song impressed me, the definitely no Springsteen fan, so much that it made me look back, to find that I had totally overlooked this mini album, released in the fall of 2020. Amends are made today.

On this mind-telling album King Hannah presents a moody and brooding mix of music, reminding me instantly of Canadian alt-Americana rockers Elliot Brood. Over this mood the voice of Hannah Merrick, a mix of darkness and this little rasp on her vocal chords, gives an extra edge to the brooding mood already present in abundance. It result in songs that easily become addictive. I can listen to the six songs on Tell Me Your Mind And I'll Tell You Mine again and again without ever thinking 'what am I doing'?

King Hannah may be a duo, when going on stage Merrick and Whittle will need a few more musicians to reproduce its songs. When all hell breaks loose, the songs are layered with a stack of guitars, bass, drums and what not. That is a bridge King Hannah has to cross once we are allowed again to go to gigs. There's absolutely no sign of anything resembling here it in the near future. Patience is a virtue.

In the meantime I can certainly live with the alternative, this album. A kind of debut album that is a promise for the future as there must be a lot more in that well where these songs were found.

Give One Take One. '68

Another duo that nearly got away, but had also been present in the weekly singles section of this blog. '68, a duo from Atlanta, Georgia, plays rock and roll as The White Stripes presented to the world in the early 00s. (Nearly everyone missed everything before the third album, right?)

So what I'm hearing is heavy guitar riffing with heavily distorted guitars all backed up by extremely tight, loud, busy drumming. The music is mixed in such a way that the whole sonic range of my speakers is filled. A wall of sound reaches me from the recording studio through MP3s translated into soundwaves. Despite all that, I have a very hard time sitting still while writing. A huge smile on my face accompanies my listening the fantastic 'Bad Bite'. Melody, noise, riffs, screams and shouts, handclaps, it all falls together into a brilliant song.

Together singer-guitarist Josh Scogin and drummer Nikko Yamada cook up a storm on the band's third album. Give One Take One is the kind of album that does not relent. Every note is designed to make a maximum impression on the listener and does, I find. If a band ever made a modern version of 1960s garage rock like The Kingsmen or The Sonics it's '68. The band makes music these pioneers of garage rock could not even imagine while at the same time making music that is so much better in all ways. Compositions, playing, mastery of instruments, audacity, recording options. So, of course, every one follows in someone's footsteps, that does not necessarily makes the new better. In this case, I'm willing to make an exception for 'Louie Louie' in The Kingsmen's version, it is certainly true.

Give One Take On is best called a musical storm. It only lies down at the end of the last song. Leaving the listener behind exhausted, depleted, yet wanting more, another rush, now!. In short, the better kind of album.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order King Hannah here:

https://kinghannah.bandcamp.com/album/tell-me-your-mind-and-ill-tell-you-mine

and '68 here:

https://theyare68.bandcamp.com/album/give-one-take-one

or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g