Hanson- still around and totally awesome!

[snl89]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 3:37pm

I figured I'd start this thread back up again (I'd made one like years ago that's now been deleted haha), in honor of the new Hanson single that premiered today!

Thinking 'Bout Something:
https://www.popeater.com/2010/04/05/hanson-thinking-bout-somethin

It's preeetty dang awesome, imo at least It's actually kind of nice, because their last album The Walk was fantastic but a bit more heavy, so it's nice that they're switching it up a bit and going more lighthearted this time around. It's actually quite reminiscent of their Middle Of Nowhere days! Except.. more mature, obviously haha


So yeah, the full album, Shout It Out, will be out June 8th! I'm very excited :)

Updated On: 4/5/10 at 03:37 PM

Posted: 4/5/10 at 3:50pm

No.

[snl89]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 3:53pm

^have you actually listened to any of their music from the past 10 years, or are you just basing that "no" off of when they first came out? :P


I mean hey, if you actually listened to the single and don't like it, that's cool! But somehow I just have a feeling most people who say "no" like that haven't even given them a chance. Which is really quite unfortunate if that's the case.

[tazber]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 3:59pm

Posted: 4/5/10 at 4:03pm

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 4:04pm

No.

[Craww]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 4:04pm

Hi Chris Hansen!

Hanson are fine. I probably would have gotten into them at some point but I think their persona creeps me out. They're all a bunch of ickle breeders.

This Time Around is my jam.

[snl89]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 4:16pm

"I probably would have gotten into them at some point but I think their persona creeps me out. They're all a bunch of ickle breeders."


haha, I never really thought of them as having a persona, personally. They've always been very straightforward to me. And in terms of the having lots of kids, Taylor's really the only one who does have a surprising number of kids so far (only because he's only 27 haha). But the thing is, they come from a family of 7 themselves, plus they have been working and in a band since Taylor was like 9 years old. So it kind of makes sense that they just.. got a bit of a head start on life when it comes to that stuff haha :) But yeah, I doubt that Tay and his wife will just continue popping out babies non-stop lol. But they got married early, seem to be quite happy, and have the money to support a big family, so why not start early, you know? They've got 4 kids right now, and I'm sure when they feel like they definitely don't want any more, they'll stop :)


This Time Around is awesome. That whole album is quite underrated, actually!

Posted: 4/5/10 at 4:29pm

I ran record stores for many many years. There was nothing sadder than the customer who'd get fixated on an artist (usually a one hit wonder) and just not be able to let it go.

I remember one woman (Janet) who was totally in thrall to A Ha- you know, the New Wave band with the comic book video for their one hit "Take On Me." She'd come in to make sure that we had their albums (Yes, there were a couple) in stock and hold forth on the unappreciated genius of A Ha, why this album was far superior to their one "Hit".

She'd periodically ask for some "new" album that she'd read about being released in England or Iceland or wherever. She's ask if we'd gotten in any new A Ha shirts or posters.

She was annoying, but beyond that she was sad. Crazy of course, but also burning with that desire to convert us, to make each of us accept her insane delusion that A Ha were still still around and still awesome, but of course, if they were, she wouldn't need to pound it home every few weeks.

I wonder where she is now, if she's ever accepted that no one cares about A Ha anymore. Or maybe she's posting to some internet message board about those three guys who still light her fire.

[snl89]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 4:49pm

^ Well I really don't know about A Ha, but might I just point out that often times bands that the general public think of as "one hit wonders" actually DO continue to make great music, and have huge repertoires that go far beyond that one song that may have been the only one to make it mainstream

So I think it's a bit ignorant to just brush off any band that may have been big at one point and now isn't as much, as if the FACT that they're not in the mainstream anymore indicates they couldn't possibly be doing anything of consequence.

I am in NO way "still stuck on Hanson", because there's nothing to be STUCK on. They've continued making new music consistently all throughout the past 13 years. It's hardly like this is the first new music they've done since Middle of Nowhere, and I've just been obsessing over the same 12 songs or whatever ever since 1997 haha.

So I'm a bit confused as to why you find it so annoying that I'm posting about NEW music that I happen to think a lot of people would enjoy if they would give it a chance.

How is this any different, really, than posting about any other Indie band who's music I want to get the word out about?

Honestly, if it bugs you so much, just forget about mmmbop! Pretend you didn't know who Hanson was! Would that make it easier for you? Because the fact of the matter is, they HAVE been making great music all this time. Music that I think is worthy of being heard. That's why I post about it. Nothing more.


So please, get over yourself. And if you're going to go around criticizing people for still being into bands that YOU seem to think aren't worth noting just because they happen to not be in the mainstream anymore (which, for the record, most mainstream music is terrible so I don't know why you'd treat it like it actually speaks toward the quality of the art), at least know what you're talking about


I just love how people make these arguments about how "annoying" it is, and yet seriously, have you even TRIED listening to any of their music? I'm guessing probably not.

I'm sorry, but that just irks me. It's fine not to like a band or an artist or whatever, but if you're going to go around criticizing other people for liking them, at least LISTEN to the music you're going to criticize people for liking first!

Updated On: 4/5/10 at 04:49 PM

Posted: 4/5/10 at 4:53pm

Oh honey you are more fun than a drunken monkey on roller skates!

[snl89]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 4:58pm

*sigh*

You can act as condescending as you like. Until you actually do some RESEARCH on the music you claim is so hugely "irrelevant and insensible for anyone to like", you're the only one looking silly


Now if you want to actually LISTEN to some of the 100s of songs that Hanson has written in the last 13 years and THEN come back and say you don't like them, go for it! But to criticize ME for posting about new music simply because it happens to be by a band you didn't think was around anymore.. that's obnoxious. Not to mention quite a self centered way to look at things.


(and for the record, the only reason I even felt the need to qualify "still around" is just because I know most people- like you- don't realize they've never stopped making music. Not because I know deep down that they're totally irrelevant but still want to believe they are anyway. I know they've never stopped making very legitimate music. I don't need to justify that to anyone)

Updated On: 4/5/10 at 04:58 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 5:06pm

I have a niece who stuck by Hanson from the beginning and has continued to see them on their tours and buy each new release. I respect that they continue to work on new things and release music regularly.

When I worked in a record store we never made fun of, looked down upon, or considered sad the customers who were devoted to artists who were still releasing new music. That is simply a matter of taste.

What struck us as sad were the people caught up in whatever the latest manufactured revival du jour was; the people who bought anything with Jim Morrison's image or Hendrix or Joplin.

Still we didn't condescend to them.

[snl89]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 5:12pm

^THANK YOU Namo :)

Honestly, it's one thing to make that "stuck in the past" argument for people who remain obsessed with artists long after they've literally stopped making music.

But to say that about people following a band that has never stopped is just inaccurate!

Heck, I haven't even listened to Middle of Nowhere in the longest time! The Hanson music I've been listening to most is the music they JUST released a few months ago. It's no different than following any other Indie band that has been around for a while and just released new music.

Updated On: 4/5/10 at 05:12 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 5:20pm

I think it's sad when artists who had written and performed their own music, like the Hanson brothers do, stop creating anything new and just tour every summer to trot out the hits.

Hanson mania went away but they kept doing their thing and performing for whatever size crowd would show up. I respect that in the same way I respect the Rolling Stones for at least bothering to create new albums when they could skip that step and the money would still roll in for the tours. The way, say, a critics-darling band like The Pixies continues to do.

[Calvin]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 5:24pm

I'll have you know that A Ha will be at the Nokia this May as part of their farewell tour!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 5:30pm

That's sweet. I am reminded of David Spade's Hollywood Minute when he mentioned a Laura Branigan concert should open with "Gloria," end with "Gloria," and then encore with "Gloria." And then she died.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 5:49pm

How long ago were you working in record stores, Namo?

I liked Hanson when I was 12 and they first came out. What irked me is that they always came across as judgementally Christian in interviews, and yet 2 of the 3 impregnated their girlfriends before marriage.

[Calvin]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 6:03pm

If Suzanne Vega can put together an entire album consisting of one song, I'm sure it can be done in concert form!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 6:26pm

It seems like only yesterday, Orangeskittles, but in fact my five year stint as a record store employee began 30 years ago. And during that time the classic rock stations would start revivals of dead bans ever few years. It was tedious, when there was new stuff to discover that the radio stations wouldn't touch.

Posted: 4/5/10 at 6:44pm

I guess I just find it curious why the love of a band and the joy they bring isn't enough for someone- YOU have to love then, and YOU! And YOU! And if you don't love them, why you just haven't heard the right record! Because they are the best! REALLY! They are the best ever and they are still making NEW MUSIC!

It's like a really repellent version of a Jesus freak.

[snl89]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 6:46pm

" What irked me is that they always came across as judgementally Christian in interviews, and yet 2 of the 3 impregnated their girlfriends before marriage."


I'm not sure what their social opinions are, but I can say that the reason I don't know is because they never talk about it, so... can't really judge at all since they really HAVE never pushed anything on anyone :)

I do sometimes get curious myself, just how conservative or not conservative they are because I know they grew up pretty religious and stuff, but then I remind myself that it really doesn't matter, because they're not pushing their beliefs on anyone else so it's really none of my business if their beliefs are in line with mine or not! haha


So yeah, I do get what you mean though in that they do give off a bit of a "good Christian" vibe. But truly, they're really good about not getting into that stuff, like, ever :) They don't discuss politics or anything publicly. Even during the election last year, they encouraged people to vote, but never said who they were personally supporting or anything like that.

[snl89]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 6:56pm

"I guess I just find it curious why the love of a band and the joy they bring isn't enough for someone- YOU have to love then, and YOU! And YOU! And if you don't love them, why you just haven't heard the right record! Because they are the best! REALLY! They are the best ever and they are still making NEW MUSIC!"


... I never said you have to like them at all! haha. In fact, I specifically said, if you don't like their music, that's cool. I just find it obnoxious to come INTO a thread that you could just as easily ignore and criticize someone for spreading the word about a band that has new music out.

If you don't care or don't like them, then cool, just ignore the thread and concentrate on things you DO like! But to come in and act like I'M being the obnoxious one for posting about a band I like, because I think some other people might enjoy it too?



And for the record, I DO encourage people to listen to anything Hanson did POST Middle Of Nowhere/mmmbop era before making final judgments, only because I know for a fact that a lot of people have initial impressions of them that aren't accurate to what they're actually about. It's just a matter of the fact that they started out REALLY young, and so people assumed they were teenybopper bubblegum when really they're just a very legitimate pop/rock band. So I feel like, if people are going to have an opinion about them one way or the other, they should do it off of MORE than mmmbop, which they wrote on their own when Taylor was 11 years old. It's just a matter of acknowledging that yeah, they've grown up since then so their grown up work is a more fair basis to judge them on haha. THAT'S the reason I say "listen to anything post mmmbop- or at the very least OTHER than mmmbop- before judging them one way or the other".

Updated On: 4/5/10 at 06:56 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 11:19pm

"mmmbop"

Great. I can't even read that word without the song going through my head for the net 24 years.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/5/10 at 11:29pm

Their last couple of albums are actually really good. And I am digging this new single.