HANGMAN Album 'VERSION ONE"

[definite]

Hey there bottom end feeders haha!

HANGMAN release our debut album this week (online-cd next month).

Feel free to listen and love, hate, compliment, critique, etc. Tracks on our myspace player now.

http://www.myspace.com/hangmanbandnz

[foal30]

Post by foal30 on Sat Jul 24, 2010 4:15 pm
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.

[foal30]

Nev showing me cut and paste is some ill business

[definite]

Review by Rob Black:

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

[definite]

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.

[definite]

NZ MUSICIAN MAGAZINE REVIEW
Category: Music
HANGMAN: Version One
By Kate Foster
‘Holy ’90s influences Hangman!’ Dip into ‘Version One’ immediately if
you’re looking for some upbeat funk-dripping rock. You Got To Move and
Fallen display what these guys are all about, sweet gats and a
commitment to groove in the rhythm section. Throughout this debut
album, Hangman consistently evokes memories of the titans of funk rock
with a tough edge, up the alley of Rage Against the Machine and
Infectious Grooves. I must say that if you like what you read then
you’ll be charmed by the videos for Do It and Just Be which can be
found online, featuring parkour stunts in one and beautifully rendered
retro ‘Kiwi home movies’ in the other. The clips are fresh and
showcase the talent that is plentiful here. Laid back and chilled in
the appropriate places and with the right amount of grunt when needed,
it wouldn’t hurt to have a copy in your glove box for one of those ‘I
want to listen to everything’ moments. Hangman aren’t subscribing to
any faddy trends, instead opting for honest representation of the
influences and artists they love.