Welcome to the second half of this week’s Split Record Review! Yesterday, Henry went over Cory Hanson’s debut album, “Western Cum,” and I’ll be providing my coverage of it today. I was expecting something in the vein of Grant McDonald’s “Ram Ranch” due to the title and art, but the record is a big upgrade from that song. Fresh off a road trip to Nashville, can this country-infused album strike my fancy?
“Wings” makes a few things apparent quickly. Technically speaking, the guitars and drums sound crisp and Hanson is an emotive singer. The tempo slows at the minute mark before he breaks into the chorus of “I’m on a wing.” Following a solo further on, the guitar melody gets more technical and distortion takes center stage again. The song has every reason to maintain engagement for five minutes, yet it does feel long.
The riffs on “Housefly” are nasty, standing out even more with Hanson’s higher register singing here. “Hoo”-ing in the background midway through takes the edge off the grungy atmosphere, and it’s impressive how Hanson makes a housefly the villain of the song, ending each verse with different situations where such a harmless creature can be a nuisance. The first two instances see him try to kill it, but the third ends with “Then a housefly comes circling from the stairs.”
“Persuasion Architecture” begins with not the best noise rock I’ve heard in my days, though the energy is soon sapped, giving way to an incredible vocal performance by Hanson. After another noise rock derailing and instrumental section, Hanson concludes with “Nosferatu, lost in his castle / Waiting from behind the ruin.” This is fitting since this song is more up and down than the 2024 remake of “Nosferatu.”
The first two minutes of “Horsebait Sabotage” are great, featuring Hanson’s creative writing prowess. The second verse is particularly enjoyable: “I got a job unloading / Blocks of ice melting in my van / Watching ‘em slide out in the street / Like butter skating in the pan.” The song’s repeatability is hindered or helped by the soothing outro, depending on whether you vibe with it, but I do wish the non-vocal instrumental sections were shortened at this point.
The “Western” in the album’s title becomes more apparent on “Ghost Ship,” yet Hanson and crew still offer a personal spin. “The cocaine that you’re carrying is taped down to your balls” offers crazy visualizations, though the dreamy vibes make this anything but tongue-in-cheek.
The pace picks up a tad on “Twins,” keeping up the Americana flair that Henry pointed out on “Ghost Ship.” However, the track doesn’t offer anything new, something that changes with the following song.
About a minute-and-a-half elapses on “Driving Through Heaven” before the guitars make their presence known, and while the jam is a pleasant listen, this is Hanson’s album. Two-and-a-half minutes without his voice is a bit much because these guys aren’t King Crimson or CAN; they can’t carry a composition without vocals for that long before it gets boring. Five-and-a-half minutes go by before Hanson’s third verse, and by then, my mind is already off elsewhere.
Beginning like a laid-back Velvet Underground song, “Motion Sickness” gets more credit from me. It’s slow to pick up but the anthemic second half is perfect for a crowd setting, so I hope Hanson can book himself and Wand some larger venues. They did play at South by Southwest in Austin recently, hence Henry’s recommendation to review this since he saw them, but I’m rooting for them to get in the big leagues!