HANNAH IN THE WARS
Following a couple of solo releases in New Zealand, London-based Kiwi Hannah Curwood has returned with a self-reflectively titled new project, Hannah in the Wars. And the eponymously titled album, produced by none other than Roger O'Donnell, The Cure's on/off keys man for the past two decades, provides a captivating journey through both intriguingly mystical ambivalence and more blatant sonic statements of emotional intent, be they optimistically uplifting pieces or more melancholically charged compositions. Hannah has said of the circumstances surrounding the music's conception: "This album was written amidst a complex tapestry of events. A profound existential, spiritual and psychological crisis of a family member, terrifying, brutal and bewildering in intensity was accompanied by the agonising death knells and eventual shattering of a romantic relationship that had spanned many years, the deconstruction of a home." A heavy statement, although it lends weight and sense to the project's name, and helps contextualise and explain the emotional heterogeneity inherent in the music.
Despite a strong dose of melancholy and affective ambiguity throughout some of the tracks, this is in no small way a dispiriting album. Quite the opposite, in fact; it strikes me more about catharsis through art - evidently on a very personal level for Hannah herself but, by extension, this is music with cathartic potential for each and every listener who lets themself succumb to, and become immersed within, its layers of profound emotional allure. And it's subtle profundity I'm talking about here. On the surface, a lot of the arrangements are minimalist in their execution, although it's each song's emotional core that engenders a greater depth of affective bait. Instrumentations (some piano-centric; others more guitar-oriented) are all finely crafted and Hannah accentuates and creates each song's mood/s with her tonally wide ranging, beautiful voice that seamlessly switches between emotional fragility and ardent determination. Ultimately, though, every lyric is delivered with a discernible resolute spirit that rises above any traces of turmoil from songs' emotionally challenging origins. And it just keeps getting better with every listen.
Despite a strong dose of melancholy and affective ambiguity throughout some of the tracks, this is in no small way a dispiriting album. Quite the opposite, in fact; it strikes me more about catharsis through art - evidently on a very personal level for Hannah herself but, by extension, this is music with cathartic potential for each and every listener who lets themself succumb to, and become immersed within, its layers of profound emotional allure. And it's subtle profundity I'm talking about here. On the surface, a lot of the arrangements are minimalist in their execution, although it's each song's emotional core that engenders a greater depth of affective bait. Instrumentations (some piano-centric; others more guitar-oriented) are all finely crafted and Hannah accentuates and creates each song's mood/s with her tonally wide ranging, beautiful voice that seamlessly switches between emotional fragility and ardent determination. Ultimately, though, every lyric is delivered with a discernible resolute spirit that rises above any traces of turmoil from songs' emotionally challenging origins. And it just keeps getting better with every listen.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
99X/10
Album
HANNAH IN THE WARS
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
36:01
RELEASE DATE:
25th May 2015
TRACK LISTING
1) Burning Through the Night
2) The Hunter
3) Rear View Mirror Baby
4) Watch the Dog Grow Old Together
5) Sweet Release
6) Only Wanna Be
7) Like a Stone
8) Infidel
9) Lay Your Hands
10) Dark Summer Dawn
2) The Hunter
3) Rear View Mirror Baby
4) Watch the Dog Grow Old Together
5) Sweet Release
6) Only Wanna Be
7) Like a Stone
8) Infidel
9) Lay Your Hands
10) Dark Summer Dawn
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
New Zealand
"...a captivating journey through both intriguingly mystical ambivalence and more blatant sonic statements of emotional intent..."
