An Impression of Hanson

A friend, Paola, has been sharing quite few pictures of Hanson on Facebook. Like this:

I wasn't sure if it was real enthusiasm or Facebook doing automated sharing after a single share in a similar way to likes of products show up repeatedly and long after the initial like. Facebook can be creepy like that.

Turns out it wasn't Facebook at all. It was Paola actively sharing her love of this band. As a recovering cynic, this kind of enthusiasm is starting to appeal to me.

You may have no knowledge of Hanson, or just one reference, like me:



I never had any interest in the band back then and probably dismissed it as a good but irrelevant pop song with "at least they pay their own instruments" thrown in. My wife goes a bit nuts singing along to Mmmbop if it's ever on the radio or played at a wedding. It makes her happy, and so it's grown on me over the years.

Paola played a selection of songs for me.  These are just my initial impressions, which could be different on another day:

All This Love Crap - Heavy Led Zeppelin influence. No complaints from me. I'd happily sing along with this in the car.

Zombie - Feels like a homage to Thriller, but I couldn't get beyond the fake synth horns, which are unfortunately a pet hate of mine. Fingernails meet blackboard. This isn't necessarily a criticism of the song.

No Sleep For Banditos - I'm getting a hint of Chilli Peppers on a good day, but also lots of other aromas that I can't quite place.  This is definitely my favourite track. Inscrutable. The drums are oddly simple and I find myself listening to them at the expense of the rest of the song.  I'm certainly not against simplicity. I smile if I see a kit that's just a kickdrum, snare, and hi-hat (like here). Somehow they feel like a beginner playing rather than an accomplished musician.  I think it must the mix/live recording, or in some other way, they're wrong for the track.

A Sunny Day / Cecelia - Cecelia is always going to win with me.

Sonny Get Your Gun - reminiscent me of Bon Jovi circa Wanted:Dead or Alive. It's the kind of track that. if I wasn't paying attention, I might listen to most of the way through until I realised it was annoying me. I don't particularly like it, but it's just preference.

Fire on the Mountain - Reminds me of Extreme or Mr Big doing acoustic stuff. I don't mind this kind of thing in small amounts. It fortunately doesn't stray over the line into shitty Aerosmithery.

It seems unlikely that I'll ever be a Hanson fan, but there are 2 out of 5 songs here that I'd happily listen to.  If there was a convenient and not too expensive gig, I could see myself buying tickets and taking my wife. She doesn't really like the same music as me, but I think there would be some common ground here. It'd be half a joke, a bit of a novelty maybe. Without Paola enthusiasm, they'd be completely off the radar. Novel isn't enough though. Without listening to a few songs and liking enough of them, going to see them would be incomprehensible.  Some bands I like live, but almost never listen to their records. I suspect that Hanson could fall into that category.

It's important to remember that opinions of music are mostly subjective. People like what they like. There's almost no bad music. This exchange pretty much sums it up:

I have to remember this when I can't get my head around anyone listening to Coldplay when they could be immersed in Radiohead instead.  And to avoid knee-jerk reactions to Girls Aloud or Wand Erection.