| Rosula (CD) | 2003 | Elektrohasch |
Hainloose is the heir to Kinch, a group of some small notoriety due to their split release with Shard. Singer and guitarist Haris went on to form Hainloose after Kinch's demise, bringing along the Kinch songbook while he was at it. Several songs on the Shard split get a reworking by Hainloose, and the results are tighter versions, with songs averaging around 4 minutes each. In fact, 'Rosula' is tight as hell, with each song stripped of fat while at the same time rich in dynamics and memorable riffs, chased by Haris' clean vocals. Overall, Hainloose not only reminds me of Kinch - with perhaps a bit Colour Haze at their most concise - but also of some of the best and cleanest of the Swedish scene, such as Astroqueen, Honcho, and even Mammoth Volume. As you might surmise, there's lots of desert vibing, but there's also a leavening of a difficult-to-define sensibility that somehow reminds me of early 70s FM American radio; you know, before it totally sucked. Produced by Colour Haze's Koglek, the sound is rich and full.
'Man and Buduh' starts things off in typical style with a load of heavy riffing and just enough variety, followed by the somewhat Colour Haze-ish 'Rampadampa,' with its "Get 'em High" chorus. 'Ladies first' introduces a more direct taste of the desert a la Unida, an influence also to be found in 'Hooray.' The vocal harmonies throughout remind me of Mammoth Volume. The disc closes with 'Rains of July,' a sweet tune that includes Koglek on guitar. Amongst all the heaviness, there's also a kind of romantic feeling, as if this is the kind of music we'd all be sitting around the radio smoking to, if we lived in the utopia that underground music fanatics caught a glimpse of in the early 70s. Before it all went predictably bad, of course.
Well, it`s back again, if only for a moment. I predict that, given the high level of quality with which they are starting out, the Elektrohasch label will develop its own memorable heavy stoned-out sound as time unfolds. Not that all the groups will sound alike, not at all. Its just that labelmeister Koglek obviously has an ear for quality, and a knack for making it available for all those with ears to hear it. Get in on the ground floor and dig it now!
1. Man and Buduh
2. Rampadampa
3. Rockamuly
4. Ladies First
5. Dishained
6. Hula-Hop
7. Hooray
8. River Song
9. Safit
10. Rains of July
Approx. 38 minutes
| Burden State (CD/LP) | 2006 | Elektrohasch |
Despite titles like 'Maryland' and 'Proud of My Doom', there's no doom to be found on this rekkid. Instead, the album opener 'Recipe' kicks it with some lovely COC-goes-to-Sweden energy. 'Proud' gets special kudos, with a dirty blues snarl and distorted vox reminiscent of COC, and a 70s southern vibe not unlike, say, Mezzanine or Ironboss. 'Disconnected' features some of that good 'ole California riffing, while 'Chernobilly' is a skewed Allman Brothers-style instro. Best on the album? 'Broken Dams Part II'. It's got a well-developed early 70s feel, dragged through a Swedish keyhole and deposited, dazed and confused, in your CD player.
Got your bong fired up? It'll help you make sense of these seemingly disparate elements. Hainloose may not change the face of music, but they've got a singular musical vision, a little weird around the edges, and they've got the melodic, muscular chops to back it up. A fine album for those long summer evenings.
1. Recipe
2. Maryland
3. Proud of My Doom
4. Disconnected
5. M.O.H.
6. Cold Water
7. Chernobilly
8. Broken Dams Part I
9. Broken Dams Part II
10. Barricades and Barrels
Approx. 38 minutes