Albums by this artist

Canopy (1999)

Hammock Style (1998)

Ganger

Hammock Style

---

» JONATHAN COHEN | SENIOR EDITOR

Ganger Hammock Style Domino/Merge, 1998 RiYL: Analogue, Dianogah, Ilium

Though certainly reminiscent of first-wave new rockers Tortoise, Hammock Style finds Glasgow, Scotland's Ganger more in line with trans-Atlantic colleagues such as Analogue, Dianogah and Ilium. Like these three bands, Ganger incorporates dynamic shifts, prominent drumming and jazz-flavored melodies into its sound. The album evokes a meditative but surprisingly upbeat vibe, achieving the rare feat of extreme catchiness within a largely instrumental framework.

"Capo (South Of Caspian)" is the brilliant centerpiece of this consistently engaging record. Pulses of guitar nestle into arcs of cymbal-and-kick drum, before a heart-twisting bassline joins the ride and spreads with complete osmosis. And that's only the first 150 seconds. The band's creativity allows it to extend essentially one riff into seven minutes of pure rhythmic bliss, kissed with Natasha Noramly's whispered coos. One of 1998's most satisfying musical moments.

The eleven-minute "What Happened To The King Happened To Me" is edgier, with a myriad of percussion enveloping a droning riff that oozes streams of melody. As repetition builds gradually on vocals and cranny-filling keyboards, the bass guitars suddenly pull taut, only to crack back like so many whips.

Tension release never felt so good.

"Lid Of The Stars" nods to both Analogue and Dianogah with its dropped-D leads and stop-start drumming, while the band hovers into '94-era Tortoise stratas on "Upye" and the ghostly "First Thing In The Morning."

Hammock Style boasts an eye-opening ambitiousness that bends minds and breaks hearts simultaneously. For my money, hands down the best record of 1998.

JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"