Will Hanson seems to be a troubled soul. 'Moving A Body', his début album, is comprised of nine sinister tales of murder and loss (sample titles – The Ungodly Hour, The Bats, Deathbed Conversion). Awash with piano and strings, the lack of conventional song structures is to its credit, preferring to meander and stutter through the villainous narratives on offer. The overall effect is that of Broken Records' disturbed older brother.
A welcome moment of light comes in the form of the upbeat In Her Loving Memory which surges along until its mid point when a sudden change of tempo reveals a dark heart beating just below the surface - “you led us straight to a monster's lair...” - and the clouds begin to gather once more, the pretty arrangements belying the lyrical content - “it's a mess, it's a nightmare, there's no guarantee that the angles with bite-marks are waiting for me... I'll eat you alive.”
That this record was recorded at Chemikal Underground studios, the label set up by The Delgados, is telling. The Bats could easily have been picked from one of their later albums, such is the quality of the writing and arranging. The unsettling nature of the songs and lack of any radio-friendly unit-shifters will mean that 'Moving A Body' may not be to everyone's taste, but make no mistake; those that give it time will witness the emergence of a highly accomplished talent.
Download The View From Ebury Bridge below.
Buy the album.
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