Stuck in "Underneath"?

Think you're too hip for Hanson, punk? Think again

by Stacy Altman

One might sometimes wonder at human insistence to label seemingly everything -- 'liberal', 'bubblegum pop' etc. In music for instance: when in your late teens and early twenties 'obscurity' is the equivalent of cool, and thus the only groups worth mentioning are obscure and little-known or mega cool indie groups. All that is well and good. The major bone I have to pick is with the idea that only one type of music is worth paying attention to. Whatever happened to the idea that music in all its forms is a creative expression that is designed to be enjoyed, to convey a message or to build closeness through identification? In that case, I would say that everyone has different tastes and perhaps a love of more than one type of music. Music can be seen as an exchange of ideas, a communication of experiences and one (as it often happens with me) might actually discover a new type of music or group if an open minded attitude is exercised. Furthermore, it could be said that music labels are paying these 'boxes' and making them more rigid and well defined. By and large, music is no longer an expressive art form based on talent, emotion and experience. Instead, it is a profitable business where cute little headsets, dancing girls, pretty faces, gimmicks and blatant retro influences make the music what it is.

As a case in point, I will confess to being a former closet Hanson fan (acknowledging all the sniggering and novelty memories of the pop group involved). The three blond-haired brothers of Mmmbop fame were my ultimate favourite, and to this day I still have a soft spot for them. So much so, when I discovered a new album had been released,I decided to listen to it for interest's sake (and, for interest's sake, to interview Zac (the drummer)).They are a lot taller than I had envisioned, though maybe I just feel shorter than usual! Briefly, they are older; (Isaac 24, Taylor 21 and Zac 19) and much more mature; Taylor, the front man, is now the father of a two-year old. They had also been busy the last few years, setting up an independent label (3CGRecords), producing and mixing (mostly themselves) this new musical offering entitled 'Underneath', and playing whirlwind tours in Asia and America.

This article started out to try to highlight the problems of a failed image coming back to haunt a band and affect their popularity in the future due to rigid labelling. Sitting in the lobby of the hotel, it struck me how surreal this endeavour may seem to some readers. A student, who has effectively moved on from solely listening to this group to more sophisticated artists like PJ Harvey and KT Tunstall, attempting to raise student interest in this group. However after chatting to Zac, this article changed into one charting the fight to keep a band's integrity and talent the hard way: through their own label.

I was highly pleased to realise that the time spent (on Underneath) was well spent in developing great melodies, interesting lyrics and fun choruses whilst providing some fresh expression. Forgetting their previous claim to fame, one can hear hints of Beach Boys in their flawless harmonies, Aerosmith (the song 'Hey' has familiar Steve Tyler-type scatting), Springsteen, Billy Joel, Bee Gees, Mellencamp as well as the 'show' tunes of the 20's and 30's (the refrain arrangement in 'Crazy Beautiful' is a prime example). Yes, it is easy listening popular music, but with echoes of influence showing understanding of music, rather than the influence becoming their sound, devoid of individuality. That itself is an achievement with today's plastic, churned out, 'cookie-cutter' pop, punk and rock world. Behind the scenes they have built up a loyal fan-base based on direct contact, the best most connected fan-site, fanzine and merchandise venture ever beheld. This total control has allowed them to do the most important thing -- dictate what they want to produce and be in direct contact with their fans minus the middlemen involved. They are simply, "three guys who do everything", which gives them total freedom of expression.

This step has brought about a realisation of the bureaucracy of the music industry, the disillusionment of music lovers and the underground Internet listening of music. Hanson decided to strike out on their own rather than stay with the label (Island/Def Jam Records) carrying Backstreet Boys. "It's unfortunate that the process is so convoluted," Zac admits. "All that matters is the passionate love of music," as Zac aptly puts it in an interview for Launch, Yahoo's online radio and music site. The music industry's focus is on high saturation, rather than new music, a loyal fanbase and real freedom to experiment -- as Zac alluded to -- "MTV plays the top track 9,000 times state-wide in a week. Music is now about how much can be sold, what sort of image appeals at the time rather than a solid base of talent and loyalty that can always be built upon.

Putting aside the previous problems and the general climate within the music industry, Hanson have forged ahead, releasing singles, playing small and large gigs alike and making their music as accessible as possible. Underneath was released 5th February in Ireland. The album is hugely diverse eith malancholy gems like 'Broken Angel' well hidden near the end. Other songs allude to the problems they had with their previous label such as Strong Enough to Break. It talks about the struggle and being able to "pick each other back up" and "about the music industry", Zac explains. Questioning how skills of music aficionados to pick competent bands are trained or learned, Zac further shows the very 60's idea of music as an expression that should be owned by the musicians, and respected and enjoyed by all who want to listen. Upbeat fun tracks like 'Hey' or 'Lost Without Each Other' (their second single) add to the diversity, though even they have deeper meaning. "Are you Listening?" a phrase from the latter track has used as their slogan -- is the industry listening?

To a casual listener, the beauty of the album is that now that they are older, their songs about heartbreak, struggle and dark, sinister feelings are more believable and justifiable, than when they sang and wrote about these as the squeaky clean, long haired angels of the summer of 1997. Their song-craft remains poetic, thoughtful and inventive -- always the real strong point of their music. This album showcases singing, song writing, engineering and producing talent proving that their bubblegum days were a cover for true musical talent, and that they can handle full control of their trade. The first single 'Penny and Me' is a masterpiece of clever lyrics and sharp rhythm. Like a perfume or song reminds someone of a moment in time, this song talks about these moments and the connections made.

Thus, for Hanson, the fans and making music is all that matters. Musically, they have an uncanny, almost psychic connection with each other that is most evident when the play live. They drive the front-of-house man crazy, Zac confesses: "somebody will throw something together and then we never play what we write down", helping to make it interesting for the fans and themselves. In early November they played a quiet, little-publicised gig at Temple Bar Music Centre. The sheer numbers, brought there through word-of-mouth and the power of their web forum was impressive -- considering they have been all but forgotten by the conventional music world. The acoustic gig brought home the talent they had. The improvisation, the seamless understanding and attention to each other meant that all was harmonious. In private circles, an acoustic set becomes an impressive reputation-builder since it demonstrates a musical talent and intimate knowledge of one's own music.

The Electric Set at the Ambassador (22nd March) only re-emphasised the connection, whilst totally flabbergasting this music writer with the scope of talent and reconfirming how rock they really are. Think powerful ve