King Pine And Hallan Reviewed
King Pine – Still Be Friends
Leaning on stereotypes is the ignorant man’s way of understanding the world. Believing wholeheartedly in those stereotypes never solved any problems. But for decades, this was precisely what the music industry offered its millions of customers – a world where artists never reached outside of the genre delimitations they had been afforded.
This all made it easier for the industry to sell its product. It also made it a whole lot easier to spot troublemakers not willing to comply with the rules, and to have them banished to some underground club where they’d be destined to become nothing more than a beloved cult act. With the industry on life support, the likes of King Pine know that it’s safe to pick, choose and blend.
Why can’t “Still Be Friends” become a dance floor hit? It certainly has a nicely produced and mesmeric beat that sets things along. However, that’s pieced together with a soulful, clever poem about finding a connection, thrashing it and being drawn back in years later. It’s a deeply philosophical number meant for a slow dance at a beach bar. Why shouldn’t this work, even if a record store wouldn’t know in what section to put it?
Hallan – Solomon
At the end of the day, when it really comes down to it, you’re gonna have to get some people to get up and dance if you’re hoping to become extremely successful. It doesn’t matter if you’re just looking to get married. It could be that you’re looking to run for public office and change the world. Or, you could just be someone who wants to play music for a living.
Hallan realised this simple truth quicker than most. That’s why on the band’s most recent single, the group’s smartass post-punk is pushed into apocalyptic dance territory, into the kind of sonic arena where the lights flicker with the intention of giving you convulsions and where you’re not sure if the beat that’s making you dance is also making you happy or disgusted with yourself.
But it’s a fair summary of life in this century. “Solomon” is a single about great problems and simple, dramatic solutions. It’s also a song about the things that you simply can’t disguise or hide. So what’s left to do? Just dance your troubles away. Hallan are here to help you do that, and it has to be said that the band’s production across this gothic-dance manifesto works great in this context.
