The Grownup Noise: self-titled debut

Some people sing and it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful. Some sing and you think you’ve heard an angel. Some sing and it’s so powerful, you’re blown away. And some sing, and sing, and sing, and you just don’t want them to ever stop because you know they don’t want to/can’t stop. Paul Hansen is that last kind of guy. His voice is beautiful. And he can’t stop. He won’t stop. You don’t want him to stop. Ever. His band, The Grownup Noise, is not going to let him either, don’t worry. He sings effortlessly.

I walked into a club last night just as they were taking the stage and yeah, they didn’t look that special. I wandered up to the bar, stood with all the rest of the head-nodders, the indie kids, the meager crowd (this club doesn’t seem to really do any promotion; guys, don’t play here again, ok?) And by the middle of that first song I was seriously fixated on that voice. And then on that bass, and on that guitar and on that drummer, (the cellist wasn’t on this leg of the tour, alas). They did a full set, with a nice variety of songs, with Paul switching from guitar to keyboards (I preferred the guitar ones, I must say) and Adam Sankowski playing a bit of keys along with his bass. Aine Fujioka takes care of percussion; and it all goes very smoothly and ranges from indie pop to jazz inspired, melody-rich folk/rock. But what set it apart from the usual offerings in these genres were the lyrics; they’re smart without being stuffy. Paul makes you listen and he rolls the words out so that you may, but there’s not a whiff of pretention here. I loved that about tonight. There’s a little of Eef Barzelay to this man, in the way he writes, in the feel of his lyrics of love songs like “Urban Myth”

Pick up a copy of this band’s debut album. It’s brilliant. The addition of the cellist makes for a really lush sound that I didn’t experience last night but that once I had chatted with Adam I could easily imagine. Both sounds are great. The pared down, guitar-heavy, trio was a sight to see. Their rendition of “The Oldest Running Feature” was one that I wish someone had recorded; it was raw and unadorned and escalated to a perfect crescendo before collapsing down to the barest, quietest last note… perfect. They all played as if there was nothing else they could possibly do that evening. And I honestly believe that was the case.  Some people are just driven to make music. I’m just driven to hear it, xoxo