June 1, 2004

Sure, the girls still squeal.

When they heard that the pop-rock band Hanson was going to play a private concert at Ward-Brodt Music Mall, several dozen young women planted themselves on the sidewalk outside, hoping to get in or at or least catch a glimpse of Zach, Taylor or Isaac Hanson. One had driven to Madison all the way from Texas and claimed to have seen the three Hanson brothers perform more than 30 times.

And, sure, Hanson still sings "MMMBop," that contagiously silly little pop song that became a massive worldwide hit in 1997, propelling their album "Middle of Nowhere" to sales of more than 8 million copies. Even now, as you're interviewing the eldest brother, Isaac Hanson, nodding and listening to him talk insightfully about the "sonic tabulature" of their new album, "Underneath," that chirpy "MMMBop" chorus keeps buzzing in your head.

But the Hanson of 2004 is different from the Hanson of 1997, and not just because drummer Zach Hanson, who fans might remember as an elfin 11-year-old, is now a broad-shouldered 18.

And it's not just that the band isn't the global sensation that it was in 1997. "Underneath" was released last month on Hanson's own label, 3CG Records, and has been doing very well by indie label standards. The first single, "Penny and Me," has gotten decent airplay on MTV's "Total Request Live." But it isn't going to sell 8 million copies.

"There's no such thing as a continually growing uphill career," Isaac Hanson says. "There's always a down and an up and a down and an up. There are good moments and bad moments. I feel like that's what makes it interesting."

What this year's Hanson has for the first time is respect. No longer distracted by the throngs of screaming teenage girls, music critics have been able to judge "Underneath" on its merits, and many have found it to be a mature, enjoyable indie pop album, "like Fountains of Wayne without the collegiate sensibility," as Blender magazine put it.

"Hanson has established itself as a credible band whose best years and music are yet to come," wrote the New York Post. That's quite a statement to make about a band that many critics were writing off as a one-hit wonder back in 1997.

The comparisons to midlevel indie pop bands like Fountains of Wayne certainly seem in line with Isaac Hanson's sensibilities. When the band stopped in town last week for the Z104-sponsored show as part of a promotional tour, he wore a T-shirt and button advertising the critically acclaimed pop band Polyphonic Spree.

Hanson's new album includes collaborations with Matthew Sweet and Gregg Alexander, formerly of the band the New Radicals. (Presumably, Hanson forgave Alexander for that line in the New Radicals' sole hit "You Only Get What You Give," in which he sings, "Dust Brothers, Beck and Hanson/Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson/You're all fakes, run to your mansions.")

"You have to grow and change with your audience," Isaac Hanson says. "If you don't continue to evolve and change, your audience will become bored. But if you continue to show change and growth, the audience feels that much more compelled and attached."

At the same time, he says that while his band's sound may have matured over the years, at heart they're still basically the same pop-rock band they always were. People just perceive more of a change in the music because the group looks so different.

"I think what we've always been is singer-songwriters," Isaac Hanson says. "Whether it's the 'MMMBop' days or the (2000 album) 'This Time Around' or 'Underneath,' what we've always been is three guys who are constantly writing music and love harmony because the three of us can sing so well together. I really feel like this record has as much pop sensibility about it as 'Middle of Nowhere.' It's just seven years later and different songs."

One of the things working in Hanson's favor now, Isaac Hanson says, is that the band-oriented pop-rock that Hanson always played has become popular again, thanks to Maroon 5, Five for Fighting, John Mayer and others. A tuneful Hanson song like "Penny and Me" fits in better than it would have even four years ago, when R&B-influenced boy bands like 'N Sync dominated the pop landscape. Hanson was often lumped in with those groups, which Isaac Hanson clearly feels was inaccurate.

"I don't think that even a song off 'Middle of Nowhere' would have really fit radio at that point in time," he says. " 'Middle of Nowhere,' even though it was considered to be a pop record, was a lot more organic than any of the records that were ever made by the Backstreet Boys."

But no matter how far their career goes and how many other songs they write become hits, the members of Hanson know it'll always come back to "MMMBop." And they're OK with that.

"I think 'MMMBop' is a song that most every band in America wishes they had," Isaac Hanson says. "It was the opportunity for us to really launch a career and to be noticed by the world. From then on, the question is: How do you evolve and sustain that career?"


E-mail: rthomas@madison.com


Published: 2:33 PM 6/01/04