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Celebration of sound
Kris Hansen’s Left Hand Band

By BOB GULL
December 26, 2007

Despite living in a world that is seemingly rotating off its axis and just plain miserable, there are, believe it or not, many reasons to give thanks. You just have to look for them.
Kris Hansen, for one, doesn’t have to look real far. The local musician, songwriter, and engineer nearly lost his life after being struck by a brain aneurysm in 2001. Leading up to that tragedy, Hansen had been working in the music business for over a dozen years. But the aneurysm figuratively crippled him. In fact, when something like that happens, most folks would have to kiss everything and everybody goodbye. But Hansen defied death; somehow, he’s lived to tell about it. Actually, he spends more time singing about it. Since the episode, Hansen has experienced an artistic rebirth, a burst of creativity, as if he’s trying to make up for all the writing time he’s missed.

His debut, Kris Hansen’s Left Hand Band, features 18 songs written in the aftermath of the aneurysm. A thing of beauty, filled to the gills with ideas and hooks and melodies and meaning. It’s a musical jacquard of styles, from breezy, jazzy, and psyche pop to folk, roots, and classic rock. Sonic touchstones include John Lennon, Paul Westerberg, the Mekons, Levon Helm, Richard Thompson, and Robyn Hitchcock, which should give you some indication of where his heart is at. It’s a jubilant celebration of sound, with feelgood vibes and lots of sprightly plucking. The wistful instrumental “Ghosts,” the anthemic love song “About Her,” and the whimsical Brian Wilson-inspired closer “Laugh and Get Bored” are but a few of the many highlights worth mentioning.

Hansen’s accompaniment — Bob Giusti on drums (who contributes the Beatlesy “Catastrophe Ragtime”), George Dussault (who weighs in with the quirky “Opus in L minor”), Jon Tierney, and Tara Hansen — provides colorful support. As a result, there is not only a warm emotional undercurrent on Left Hand Band, there’s some solid musical chops backing it all up. Pick up a copy. It’s a plain ol’ blast, not to mention a miracle this baby even got made.

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