A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Cervantine (2011)

Jeremy Barnes's collection of musicians has released another fantastic album. Cervantine is the fifth A Hawk And A Hacksaw proper full-length, if the collaboration A Hawk and A Hacksaw and the Hun Hangár Ensemble isn't counted. To my ear it sounds like the band has gotten even bolder and quicker in the composition of the songs, certainly faster paced than 2009's Délivrance. For the unfamiliar, A Hawk And A Hacksaw, is one of many projects involving Jeremy Barnes, who notable was a member of Neutral Milk Hotel. Formed with Heather Trost, expanding accordingly since, it has been their main outlet for the last decade or so. Pulling influence from Eastern European music of Balkan and Jewish Klezmer, the band has relocated to Budapest since formation. A perfect segue for me to mention that I am going to Budapest, along with several other Central European cities for the bulk of May. To accommodate the blog and give people something to look over I have written some posts that'll appear periodically while I am traveling, just need to be looked over my buddy b to make sure I wasn't too terribly sloppy. Maybe he'll chime in with some noises he fancies.

To be had here:
A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Cervantine [320 kbps]

A Hawk and A Hacksaw - Delivrance (2009)

This night shift as continued to throw me off, but even more so is finally having money to spend for the first time in months so I have been living like a slightly-less-poor menial laborer for a few days. Anyhow that means I am just gonna post something I am familiar with but overlooked in posting a while ago. I already shared another album by this group earlier in the blog's history and went into the various musical outlets of the man behind it, Jeremy Barnes. This album is really a continuation of the sound found in the previous releases produced under this moniker, namely Balkan-esque, string and horn heavy compositions. I really like the beginning of this album because of the especially lo-fi sounding track found there, "Foni tu argile." When I listen to this stuff it makes me think of wars with Turks and merchants traveling for the goods of the Mideast through Balkan lands. Moreover, A Hawk and Hacksaw are largely instrumental, which is exactly what one needs for productivity at times. Lastly, I must say that I enjoy A Hawk and Hacksaw continually despite the other bands that are similar to it (Beirut for example) fade into vast un-listened-to pile.

To be had here:
A Hawk and A Hacksaw - Delivrance [192 VBR kbps]