Thou by Harken the Hands Askew
Harken The Hands Askew debut "Thou" has been in the works for five-plus years now. Aaron has been relentlessly and diligently fine tuning and perfecting these fourteen songs for that entire time. Numerous changes and re-writes have been made and finally the debut is ready.
It's vast but still very personal music which contains the thickness and vastness of godspeed you black emperor! while maintaining a beautiful pop edge which will remind listeners of gregor samsa.
It's been well worth the wait.
- Stickfigure Recordings
Purchase CDr here:
https://stickfigure-mailorder.myshopify.com/products/harken-the-hands-askew-thou-cd?_pos=1&_sid=fd13380e2&_ss=r
Tracklist
| 1. | It's Cold in These Apartments | 2:28 |
| 2. | Heartache | 5:57 |
| 3. | The Day is New | 5:14 |
| 4. | Growing Up is Hard | 4:53 |
| 5. | I Love You; I Always Have | 3:12 |
| 6. | Traveler | 2:20 |
| 7. | I'm Tired | 3:54 |
| 8. | An Afternoon Well-Spent | 7:02 |
| 9. | Moving Day | 1:40 |
| 10. | Leaves | 2:08 |
| 11. | Adagio in G Minor | 3:22 |
| 12. | Winter is Upon Us | 10:10 |
| 13. | Thou | 7:38 |
| 14. | Patience | 6:10 |
Credits
released June 9, 2009
With five years of effort and devotion put into it, "Thou" is a strikingly beautiful album consisting of ambient acoustic guitars and an embracive environment. For having a bit of drone and obscure sounds, each song follows a traditional song structure that blends well with the lo-fi, experimental noises and downtempo drumbeats. Harken The Hands Askew is a solo project by Aaron Wamack, who has played drums for Me and Him Call It Us and is now currently a member of O'Brother. Wamack recorded and compiled the album himself at various locations in the Atlanta area on his own computer. The track "Heartache" embarks the listener on a sonic journey fitted with trip-hop bass, drums and reverberant vocals. The arpeggiated guitar produces a post-rocky experimental song that can get you lost in the track. Some of the songs on the album may not have all the sounds a traditional one might, but they consist of gripping atmospheres and lingering vocals that float above. There is a bit of humming and crackle throughout the album that gives warmth to each track. The music is vast, with thickness of echo, yet has a somber popish feel with the jingling of guitars. The reverb and haunting ambience sets the mood of dark enchantment, which you may see in bands such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Kayo Dot. Thou can be thought of as a brilliant, powerful, yet personal album for the likes of many.
- Billy Seidel, Performer Magazine
A meticulous five years in the making, Thou is the beautiful new record from Harken The Hands Askew, the solo banner for O’ Brother guitarist Aaron Wamack. It is very atmospheric, droney sort of experimental stuff, but with a whole lot more traditional song structure than one would expect from that description. It strikes an almost perfect balance between its very basic lo-fi pop foundation and its more quirky and risky elements. I’m really digging this more and more.
- Ohmpark
With five years of effort and devotion put into it, "Thou" is a strikingly beautiful album consisting of ambient acoustic guitars and an embracive environment. For having a bit of drone and obscure sounds, each song follows a traditional song structure that blends well with the lo-fi, experimental noises and downtempo drumbeats. Harken The Hands Askew is a solo project by Aaron Wamack, who has played drums for Me and Him Call It Us and is now currently a member of O'Brother. Wamack recorded and compiled the album himself at various locations in the Atlanta area on his own computer. The track "Heartache" embarks the listener on a sonic journey fitted with trip-hop bass, drums and reverberant vocals. The arpeggiated guitar produces a post-rocky experimental song that can get you lost in the track. Some of the songs on the album may not have all the sounds a traditional one might, but they consist of gripping atmospheres and lingering vocals that float above. There is a bit of humming and crackle throughout the album that gives warmth to each track. The music is vast, with thickness of echo, yet has a somber popish feel with the jingling of guitars. The reverb and haunting ambience sets the mood of dark enchantment, which you may see in bands such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Kayo Dot. Thou can be thought of as a brilliant, powerful, yet personal album for the likes of many.
- Billy Seidel, Performer Magazine
A meticulous five years in the making, Thou is the beautiful new record from Harken The Hands Askew, the solo banner for O’ Brother guitarist Aaron Wamack. It is very atmospheric, droney sort of experimental stuff, but with a whole lot more traditional song structure than one would expect from that description. It strikes an almost perfect balance between its very basic lo-fi pop foundation and its more quirky and risky elements. I’m really digging this more and more.
- Ohmpark
