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PRICE:
$26.00$22.10
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Fiveways
FORMAT
LP

LABEL
CATALOG #
SCRATCHY 096LP SCRATCHY 096LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
1/17/2025

LP version. Hank Dogs is Andy Allan, his partner Piano, and Lily, Andy's daughter from a previous relationship. They started out at folk clubs in London in the early 1990s before going worldwide in 1998 when legendary producer and late '60s folk rock guru, Joe Boyd declared them the first British act he'd loved in 30 years. Their debut album Bareback saw them touring the US with Joan Baez and winning fans with their quiet, haunting sound featuring ethereal vocal harmonies, strong traces of blues and Celtic music and Allan's fluid acoustic finger-picking recalling UK folk guitarists such as John Renbourn. A follow up album Half Smile appeared in 2002 but this turned out to be their swansong. However, the story was not quite over yet -- a third unreleased album Fiveways had been recorded before they went their separate ways and now it's finally seeing the light of day on South London label Scratchy Records. Fiveways contains much of the Hank Dogs' trademark English folk/US country-straddling sound. Piano's voice bounces between early Suzanne Vega, Tracey Thorn and Mary Margaret O'Hara with occasional hints of Dolores Cranberry and Bridget St. John, while underneath the acoustic guitars run freeform tangled and Lily's backing vocals add sky. Stand out track "Logic" with its pensive lyrics and haunting guitar line recalls the way Suzanne Vega could sometimes make songs stand still in their tracks but it's the dreamy "Nut" that really captures the mood. It is the sound of two ex-lovers still able to work together but unable to hide the odd dig here and there. Andy sings a few songs too including the raggedy, swashbuckling "Gazetteer." This album is definitely one for the dreamers. FFO Pentangle, The Innocence Mission, and William Blake.