With Big Swimmer King Hannah delivers the album it had always in it but had to work harder at, get more experienced to write and record. That dark, brooding sound was always there but on Big Swimmer the band takes it to the next level. It does so by making Hannah Merrick's voice sound even more mysterious, like a French sigh girl from the 1960s and an ice queen on steroids all in one. Her voice gets a perfect treatment making it sound like it's huge and all consuming. And that while she is singing in a close to whispering mode.
Around her anything can happen. From sonic storms to the softest passages, usually interchanging during a song. It all results in an extremely attractive album, showing King Hannah in the greatest of forms.
King Hannah can be found on this blog from the beginning of this decade. First with a fantastic single, 'Star Trooper' and then with the slightly disappointing mini album, 'Tell Me Your Mind And I'll Tell You Mine'. Next the first full length album 'I'm Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me' in 2022. So now Big Swimmer. With its latest album King Hannah dwarves all the music it released before. What makes this album so good?
My first answer is points to the fact that the duo surprised me no little. This album is literally what I hoped King Hannah would some day make but was not convinced whether it could make it. It has and made me very happy. For the band, for the world and for myself. Merrick and Craig Whittle have found a level of darkness within them that is pitchblack with all sorts of little spotlights that can be switched on at will. Just like the effect pedals can in between the guitar and the amp.
The surprise starts at the beginning of the album. 'Big Swimmer' starts in a way making me think that this we be another nice King Hannah album. An acoustic guitar is softly strummed with Hannah Merrick singing and then, after a short silence, the mood change kicks in, showing what the album will prove to be. The song turns electric (with Sharon van Etten sharing vocal duties with Hannah Merrick). And again the mood changes thanks to a great guitar solo. Without changing the tempo 'Big Swimmer' is transformed from a folk song into a modern rock ballad any of the New Zealand alternative rockers of this decade would have been immensely pleased with had they written it.
With 'New York, Let's Do Nothing' King Hannah shows that it has heard Wet Leg's breakthrough in the past two year since its last album. Merrick gives her own twist to the singing. The topic totally lends itself for a Wet Leg style of singing. The music however totally goes its own way and explodes no little. New York's finest from The Velvet Underground to the late 70s post punkers all influenced the music.
'The Mattress' is more jazzy. Without too much imagination I can hear the likes of Shirley Bassey sing the song, without Craig Whittle pushing in his fuzz pedal of course. There's a complete bathroom put on Hannah Merrick's voice adding to the atmosphere, mysterious and laidback. The guitar explodes once again and then is put back into its case. The beauty and the beast caught in one alternative, almost jazzy ballad.
These are just the first three songs of the album. Each song has a story like this. So, please go out and discover Big Swimmer for yourself. It all ends with a real folk song, 'John Prine On The Radio', as a sort of parting gift. Soft, folky, making the circle of Big Swimmer complete and closed. What an album!
Wout de Natris
You can listen to and order Big Swimmer here:
https://kinghannah.bandcamp.com/album/big-swimmer
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