Play 90 second soundbite of 'Idlers Dream' @ 'CD quality'
Just about as live as it gets but really wholesome and beautifully adrenalin fuelled this demo tells it like it is. And that's coz Hoden Lane give it like it is and make it work for them. I admire their modesty and commend their honesty; this demo is almost xtra-lo-fi and yet Hoden Lane come out with flying colours for their sheer balls and commitment. As a promotional tool this demo just about gets away with it but if Hoden Lane want to impress bigger 'cats' they'll need to give this lot a real going over. Don't get me wrong, Hoden Lane's 'laid bare' approach here is actually pretty cool; the songs feel very real to the point of being almost organic and if I look through the haze of low-key production I can hear a band that have a real talent for songwriting and can obviously play a bit too! As I listen I'm getting more and more locked on to Hoden Lane's shambolic stylee.
Their press pack and Myspace biog etc give me the impression that Hoden Lane are under-selling themselves and are perhaps a bit too modest coz these guys are bloody good and they should be bigging themselves up a lot more than they do! Now, I don't know what Hoden Lane's group finances are like but I wish they'd invest in a really good recording - I think it'd be awesome!
Ok, so this is lo-fi - no probs. Ok, so this is as real as it gets - and all the better for it. Could do better? Maybe but I wouldn't want Hoden Lane to lose touch with reality and lay down something that's too over-engineered! Is this demo cool then? Actually, yes! More work needed? Only if they go in for an obvious studio sound and so long as they don't lose their angst in the mix. Overall it's pretty good then? For sure - rough and ready but honest and nicely meaty. All-in-all a bloody good introduction to a fine sounding outfit - Lawdy Lawd, keep music live and if it aint broke, don't fix it!! So I guess it's back in the hands and minds of Hoden Lane to decide what they should do and where they should take this.
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