Hanalei – Parts and Accessories

This Wednesday was a big day. Not only was it National Pi Day (3.14, get it?) and the day that we should have passed 50 entries, but it was also the official release day for Hanalei’s newest CD Parts and Accessories. So belated happy holidays everyone!

For those of you who don’t know, Hanalei is the latest brilliant brain child band of guitarist, singer, writer, all around cutie, Brian Moss. Hanalei started in 2002 while Brian was in his, what I consider, great band The Ghost. At the time Hanalei was nothing more than a side project, and didn’t really take off until 2004 with the break of The Ghost. In 2004, Brian released his first full CD, We Are All Natural Disasters, under Hanalei on THICK Records. I guess the CD did OK because Brian is back again, but this time he has gotten three more members to join him in Hanalei.

So moving onto this new CD that I speak of. Parts and Accessories is a pretty neutral as far as music goes. I’m not saying that in a negative way, what I mean is just about anybody with any taste in music can listen to this CD and enjoy it. Let’s look at my dad* as an example. He is a complete and total Zappa freak, and yet within a week he stole my copy of Parts and Accessories, and has refused to give it back. Also this is one of the few CDs I’ve suggested to people that they actually like. That both speaks highly of the album and very lowly of what I generally recommend people to listen to.

Anywho, moving on to the actual music that makes up Parts and Accessories. For the most part this album has a very nice country twang to it. I am not sure what country music means to most of you, but for me it has always held a bad taste in my mouth which I blame mostly on my dad’s side of the family. So for me to be able to actually sit down and listen to an album that sounds remotely country is quite impressive in my book. Maybe for everyone else that just sounds stupid, but it’s the truth. Besides the general country feel, the album is also incredibly upbeat and it is impossible to walk away with out a smile after listening to Parts and Accessories. To me this is a most welcome change because, until this point, 95% of Brian Moss’s music had the opposite affect on my emotions. However, at the same time I miss a lot of harder sound that came with The Ghost and The Wunder Years. Besides giving up his rocking ability I feel that the lyrics on Parts and Accessories are a lot weaker than some of his earlier work. Brian is responsible for some of my most favorite lines, so I kind of held high standards for this CD as well and sadly it disappoints me in that field. But let’s not focus on the bad, overall this is a very good CD and I recommend you all download, if not buy, it and bask in 36 minutes of one of the best albums out this year.

Hanalei – Resonate Remain
Hanalei – Sloth Art [this is my favorite]
Hanalei – The Hand

Alex

*That is actually my dad. He rocks hardcore.