Historian - Hour Hand
LA-based psych folk outfit Historian recently dropped album number five, called Hour Hand.
Historian | Photo: Anna Maria Lopez
The new album is the companion to the previous album from Historian, Distant Wells. Both albums were recorded at the same time, but Hour Hand is a bit more angular and inward-looking, bedizened by haunting folk music and complex orchestration, as well as the lush strings of Quartetto Fantastico.
The creation of front man Chris Karman, the band began releasing music in 2013. Their name – Historian – was taken from the band’s nickname for Karman, whose all-encompassing knowledge of music approaches the magical. Made up of Chris Karman (vocals, guitar, synth, piano, organ), John Bottrell (bass, synth bass), Brian Kuhar (bass), and Ennio Liverani (drums), Historian makes music totally antithetical to what’s au courant.
Karman explains, saying, “I’m obsessed with making albums in an era of streaming songs and playlists. I actually feel more comfortable when our music is a little out of step with its surroundings.”
“Quiet” is one of my personal favorites, full of gleaming orchestral savors gliding atop droning synths. The classical feel of this song, with its gorgeous flowing strings, is marvelous.
Comprising 10-tracks, entry points include “The Wrong Track,” a dream-pop flavored tune with a stripped down prog-rock feel. Tendrils of color stream on undulating waves, infusing the atmosphere with austere industrial textures. Karman’s voice rolls forth on detached tones, giving the lyrics remote ambiance, as if he’s observing and commentating.
“Too Much” opens on drifting tones topped by Karman’s delicate, dreamy voice, as if floating through a fantasy world. The mood and feel of this song is vaguely reminiscent of The Beatles “A Day In The Life,” because of its reverie-like flow. “Tired Light” rides on psychedelic colors, oozing and gliding gently, as if attached to a barely discernible breeze. As the harmonics swell, the melody expands into soft delicious upsurges of indulgent energy.
“Quiet” is one of my personal favorites, full of gleaming orchestral savors gliding atop droning synths. The classical feel of this song, with its gorgeous flowing strings, is marvelous. The last track, “It Can’t Be Repaired,” travels a Spartan harmonic path: delicate piano, lenient drums, and emerging, escalating synths of rippling, sparkling hues.
With Hour Hand, Historian delivers translucent tones riding elegant, creamy melodies fused with kaleidoscopic surface colors. It’s totally sui generis, alluring, and compelling, all at the same time.
