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Mark
Hannan: Blueprints for Descent
Anybody looking for coffeehouse rock? Mark Hannans, Blueprints for Descent serves up more than a healthy dose of off-key, depressing, coffeehouse music. The press kit accompanying this CD tries to classify Mr. Hannan as pop-tinged folk music that rests securely upon its foundation of honest, well-crafted lyrics. For most people with a pulse, Blueprints for Descent is nothing less than morbid. This album makes Chris Isaacs, Forever Blue look like a Brittany Spears album. From the first tune, Scars, the numbing story of a woman slitting her wrists, to the last, a hidden track about being all alone, its evident that Mr. Hannan has a world of dark and despair to draw upon in order to craft such tragically depressing music. Lyrically, Mr. Hannan is obviously gifted; he has to be in order to transform such tragic material into music. Some may even consider his work a form of dark poetry, in fact track number eight; The Fasting of Hildegard and Anorexia is nothing less than Mr. Hannan reciting lyrics. Sometimes off-key, Mr. Hannan does manage to sneak in at least one memorable pop tune with the story of You Behind the Wheel. Im going to go ahead and chalk up at least 50% of the gloom in this album to the fact that for six months out of the year, Mr. Hannan is mired in what most people in the continental U.S. would consider hell, but Minnesotans call winter. Its hard to be optimistic about anything when it is very possible that you can go a full month without seeing the sun. With so many people crowding coffeehouses to stay warm for those six months, I can see a huge demand for artists like Mark Hannan. While his music may not be the warm fuzzy blanket you were looking for on a cold winter day, somehow his blend of heartfelt lyrics and subtle acoustic accompaniment seem to be a perfect fit for a mellow afternoon of sipping coffee and chatting with friends at a local bistro.
This album can be purchased at CD Baby LEFT OFF THE DIAL's Mark Hannan page About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
