Awash in a love of Dylan, Townes, and Kitty Wells (as much as Silver Jews, Papa M, and Palace), Brendan Hangauer's songs are full of intimate interactions, cutting observations, and dreamy, heartfelt candor. But as soon as they're brought to the band, the songs explode into amplified urgency and bold, bright heartland pop. The band is from Lawrence, Kansas, and making music there is an end in itself. Friends play together for the joy of it. Songs are written after the bars close. Raw, ramshackle live shows...   [ read more ]

CD $13.99

Other people also bought:

Great Northern  Trading Twilight for Daylight, Matthew Dear  Asa Breed, Interpol  Our Love To Admire

The Fourth of July is a family project, and it sounds like it. Even beyond the casual harmonies of brothers Brendan Hangauer (lead vocals and guitar), Patrick Hangauer (bass) and Kelly Hangauer (keyboards and trumpet; a fourth brother is their manager), which have that familial closeness non-related bandmates can never replicate, there's just a low-key, relaxed vibe to Fourth of July on the Plains. Lightly comic tunes like "Why Did I Drink So Much Last Night?," an Everly Brothers-like ...   [ read more ]

CD $12.33

Designed as an aural souvenir of the Boston Pops' annual Fourth of July concert, A Splash of the Pops is another celebration of America and Americana. Although it contains a handful of new orchestral pieces, such as "With Voices Raised," it is primarily a celebration of classic American music, both classical pieces and pop songs alike. Of course, there's not a whole lot of pop songs -- the "Overture to State Fair," "Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy," and Paul Simon's "America" are chief among t...   [ read more ]

CD $8.54