HANGMAN - Version One CD

[foal30]

debut album from Auckland's hardest working and heaviest grooving three-piece.

12 tracks (45 minutes) all recorded at Red Bull Studio by Ben Lawson. The 2 brand new cuts are 'Take your Time' and 'Do It'. There is a pretty cool video for 'Do It' floating on the web, well worth a gander.

Stylistically it's pretty much the same bag as their previous recordings, lots of riff based jams over super strong (and occasionally swinging) drums. Musically I guess the big change is having Brent on vox full time now, on the album it's cool, I guess the challenge for singing Bass players is whether it can be pulled off live. Given the heavy use of syncopation and the various 'awkward' odd time signatures Hangman utilize so effectively it'll be well worth checking out next time they are playing in your city. Guitar wise there is a lot of options in a trio setting, mostly I'd say Michael plays it pretty conservative, certainly more texture than chops. Really dig his feel on 'Take your Time" and tone wise it's getting towards the jazz-box end. I like the contrast with the rhythm scratch, all cool.

Top cuts for me are 'Fallen', (mad props for Boss BF-2 Flanger Brent ), 'Take your Time' because I like the lazy/held feel with the string pads,'Do It' 'cos it's PUNKY FUNKY, and 'Dirty' because the start is some fucked up feel. Generally it's much of a muchness tune-wise, you'll either get the lot or none.

So hopefully the cats involved have a sense of accomplishment and pride in Version One. There is a heap to be chuffed about on here, a tight band on their game, playing their tunes. FWIW 'Do It' could easy go a budget push and be a genuine Kiwi Summer Time Hit.

gripes? only with the packaging, CD's are pretty much a business card, the inlay should have both the website www.hangmanmusic.co.nz and/or whatever myspace/facebook social networking site is the flavor of the month. Easy way to reference or contact.

Paul Burnell - Drums
Michael Smith - Guitars
Brent Strathdee - Bass and Vox

GET ALONG TONIGHT TO THE ALBUM LAUNCH AT the KINGS ARMS.

[druz15]

debut album from Auckland's hardest working and heaviest grooving three-piece.

12 tracks (45 minutes) all recorded at Red Bull Studio by Ben Lawson. The 2 brand new cuts are 'Take your Time' and 'Do It'. There is a pretty cool video for 'Do It' floating on the web, well worth a gander.

Stylistically it's pretty much the same bag as their previous recordings, lots of riff based jams over super strong (and occasionally swinging) drums. Musically I guess the big change is having Brent on vox full time now, on the album it's cool, I guess the challenge for singing Bass players is whether it can be pulled off live. Given the heavy use of syncopation and the various 'awkward' odd time signatures Hangman utilize so effectively it'll be well worth checking out next time they are playing in your city. Guitar wise there is a lot of options in a trio setting, mostly I'd say Michael plays it pretty conservative, certainly more texture than chops. Really dig his feel on 'Take your Time" and tone wise it's getting towards the jazz-box end. I like the contrast with the rhythm scratch, all cool.

Top cuts for me are 'Fallen', (mad props for Boss BF-2 Flanger Brent ), 'Take your Time' because I like the lazy/held feel with the string pads,'Do It' 'cos it's PUNKY FUNKY, and 'Dirty' because the start is some fucked up feel. Generally it's much of a muchness tune-wise, you'll either get the lot or none.

So hopefully the cats involved have a sense of accomplishment and pride in Version One. There is a heap to be chuffed about on here, a tight band on their game, playing their tunes. FWIW 'Do It' could easy go a budget push and be a genuine Kiwi Summer Time Hit.

gripes? only with the packaging, CD's are pretty much a business card, the inlay should have both the website http://www.hangmanmusic.co.nz and/or whatever myspace/facebook social networking site is the flavor of the month. Easy way to reference or contact.

Paul Burnell - Drums
Michael Smith - Guitars
Brent Strathdee - Bass and Vox

GET ALONG TONIGHT TO THE ALBUM LAUNCH AT the KINGS ARMS.

my favorite track is fallen too.

[stuu]

the inlay should have both the website http://www.hangmanmusic.co.nz and/or whatever myspace/facebook social networking site is the flavor of the month. Easy way to reference or contact. .

Funny you should say that: i could swear the art i gave to the printers had the website on the inside rear panel... but upon further investigation it didn't.

Too many versions, clerical error

Anywho, if last night's show at the bollix was anything to go by, tonight will be a great gig.

Cheers Foal

[slash-ed]

Stuu's real name... is Michael? Huh wha..? This is like the Henderson revelation all over again...

[dayl]

Yeah.

Grind one of my long time favs from these guys and the reincarnation of bring it back sounds cool, no doubt fun to hear and play in live situations.

Nice work guys

[stuu]

Stuu's real name... is Michael? Huh wha..? This is like the Henderson revelation all over again...

Scandalous indeed...

Long story short: the album was tracked late last year just before i joined.

[dayl]

Stuu's real name... is Michael? Huh wha..? This is like the Henderson revelation all over again...

Scandalous indeed.

Long story short: the album was tracked late last year just before i joined.

Figured that too. bigger scandal.

Could have re-tracked the gat! ok.. thats enough making myself unpopular.

[ash]

Saw the show, bought the CD last night.

Top stuff from the Hangmen as usual. Super-great sound mix last night. One of the best I've experienced.
Also super-fancy projected backdrop video business.

Foal, I can confirm that the singing bassplayer holds up his end of the bargain juuuuust fine on the live stage.

Kudos also the the supports band I saw, The Flaming Drivers. Really tight performance of some good old dirty rock 'n roll, but with some jangly cleans thrown in and a hint of metal influence. Nicely done.

[HANGMAN]

Thanks for the review Foal and thanks Ash for coming along and copping the album too!

O for Orsome

[rob_on_guitar]

Well I been blasting my copy at work and really enjoying it.
The thing I like, especially with NZ music is the ability to incorporate different genres subtley without it affecting the main vibe.
In saying that, being a three peice, it's cool to hear every member is carrying the band just as much as the other.

Fave cuts at the moment: Dirty, From A to B and Fallen. And Just be. And Do it!

Will write up a review on me site and probably give away a cd sometime.

Excellent album guys, solid!

[HANGMAN]

Cheers Rob!

[rob_on_guitar]

Here is the review from my site:

Hangman - Version One (NZ) 2010
After seeing a couple vids of these guys on NZguitars.com forum where I regularly haunt, I was curious to hear this album and glad I got to hear it.

On the CD Hangman is Michael S. Smith - Guitars, Paul Burnell - Drums & Brent Strathdee handling Bass & Vocal duties. There has been a line up change since the recording.

The CD contains 10 tracks + 2 bonus tracks, for me the highlights are Dirty, From A to B, Bring It Back, Stuck, Fallen and Take Your Time.

Being a three piece these guys each standout and show their personality through their instruments, the drums are solid and has a nice live mix to it, the guitarist employs some funk style guitaring to balls out rock to odd guitar noises that add different flavors to the tracks. The bass guitar on this album for me steals the show with tight grooves and complementing the drums on every track. Through the tracks, the vocals change to suit, which was quite refreshing and are done well.

I won't pretend to know alot about Jazz and funk artists, but I definitely can hear them on this album, also I can hear Faith No More, Rage Against The Machine and Tool in the mix.

With guest musicians also adding to the mix, the more you listen, the more you pick out little extra pieces added to certain songs. Like the song 'Stuck', I notice something new about the track each time I hear it, then you listen with headphones and notice something else.
I also like how you have a track like 'From A To B' which is quite heavy and dark, then the following track 'Agree To Disagree' kicks in some upbeat groove so the album is not sitting in one constant mood or style.

All in all, a solid album, excellent musicianship and a good selection of tunes that should please the masses.

My rating: 8 Slaps out of 10

Checkout the Hangman website and support NZ bands!
http://www.hangmanmusic.co.nz/
http://www.myspace.com/HangmanBandnz

[HANGMAN]

MUZIC.NET ALBUM REVIEW
Category: Music
08 Aug 2010 - A review submitted by River

The album entitled 'Version One' starts off with the slow driven funk song You Got to Move. A good beginning indicating the bands secure grounding in established musical structures. Hangman is clearly a party band, the style professionally captured with a solid debut album. Previous EP releases entitled 'Raw Materials', 'Trade Goods' and 'Black Rock White Funk' over the last three years, have had some success and show overall good self management coalescing nicely into the twelve track CD.
Recorded by Ben Lawson at the Red Bull studio in Auckland and mixed by the bands own drummer Paul Burnell the end product is well conceived and produced. Mastering by Angus McNaughton was achieved to good effect.
It�s not until the forth song entitled Bring it Back that the band really hit their stride. The faster pace caries on into the next track From A to B which branches away from the established funk/hip-hop genre and into a heavier rock format. Michael S. Smith�s Incubus, Rage Against The Machine and Red Hot Chilli Peppers influenced guitar sound doesn�t deviate much from the original and that�s not a bad thing. Brent Strathdee holds it all together with on the money base lines and rap vocals in the vein of the Beastie Boy�s while Paul Burnell�s drums effectively work away in the background.
The CD keeps its tight grooves throughout and there�s a good range of dynamics and song ideas. At times originality takes a back seat to emulation, however the overall intrinsic musical talent is pretty obvious. This reaches a heavier edge with the ninth track entitled Fallen but bounces right back with Take Your Time which is an instrumental ode to the funk genre. The bonus tracks Do It and Just Be define the band from their American based counterparts previously mentioned.
I like the pick up ska influence, darker riffs and where the band diverges into more original pieces. That being said, this is a great release not only because of the continuance of genres, but because the execution of those styles is pretty much flawless.

[druz15]

MUZIC.NET ALBUM REVIEW
Category: Music
08 Aug 2010 - A review submitted by River

The album entitled 'Version One' starts off with the slow driven funk song You Got to Move. A good beginning indicating the bands secure grounding in established musical structures. Hangman is clearly a party band, the style professionally captured with a solid debut album. Previous EP releases entitled 'Raw Materials', 'Trade Goods' and 'Black Rock White Funk' over the last three years, have had some success and show overall good self management coalescing nicely into the twelve track CD.
Recorded by Ben Lawson at the Red Bull studio in Auckland and mixed by the bands own drummer Paul Burnell the end product is well conceived and produced. Mastering by Angus McNaughton was achieved to good effect.
It�s not until the forth song entitled Bring it Back that the band really hit their stride. The faster pace caries on into the next track From A to B which branches away from the established funk/hip-hop genre and into a heavier rock format. Michael S. Smith�s Incubus, Rage Against The Machine and Red Hot Chilli Peppers influenced guitar sound doesn�t deviate much from the original and that�s not a bad thing. Brent Strathdee holds it all together with on the money base lines and rap vocals in the vein of the Beastie Boy�s while Paul Burnell�s drums effectively work away in the background.
The CD keeps its tight grooves throughout and there�s a good range of dynamics and song ideas. At times originality takes a back seat to emulation, however the overall intrinsic musical talent is pretty obvious. This reaches a heavier edge with the ninth track entitled Fallen but bounces right back with Take Your Time which is an instrumental ode to the funk genre. The bonus tracks Do It and Just Be define the band from their American based counterparts previously mentioned.
I like the pick up ska influence, darker riffs and where the band diverges into more original pieces. That being said, this is a great release not only because of the continuance of genres, but because the execution of those styles is pretty much flawless.

Good stuff Brent, congrats, whoever wrote that needs a spellchecker though