Freeplay

Hussalonia

The Broken Hearted Friends EP

By Cassie Hood
hoodc@mscd.edu

The dreamy pop music and soft, lulling voices of Hussalonia are the perfect thing to escape the mundane reality of day-to-day life. On Hussalonia's The Broken Hearted Friends EP they cover four songs from four different, now-defunct bands, recreating them in their own soothing sound. According to the Beat the Indie Drum website, where the album can be found, the album was recorded out of frustration that the songs are disappearing into obscurity.

A few songs begin with background noises such as a dog's tags jingling on his collar and a chair shuffling, which is part of the album. The EP was barely edited, so in the songs the listener can hear whatever was going on in the background. This can be heard mostly in "Future Apartments" and "Me." This provides a sense of intimacy for the listener.

"Your Black Umbrella" starts with a spacey crash that sounds reminiscent of rolling thunder. A primal synthesized drumbeat drives the song along. Meanwhile, Jesse Mank's ethereal voice calms the listener's ear after the unsettling feeling the song causes at the beginning. This song pulls the listener in, making it the best song on the album. Beat the Indie Drum stated that, originally the song was written by the producer of Hussalonia's 2004 release, Finny Jean Soda Esq., for a movie that was never released.

"Future Apartments," the first song on the album, provides a harmonious melodic sound. Dreamy violins play lightly in the background, hardly noticeable. There is a slight orchestrated sound to the song. The Dollar Canon wrote this song for their 1999 release The Future Apartments EP.

The second song, "Persuasion" makes the listener want to grab their lover and dance as they hold each other tight. The entire song sounds like something played at a high school dance. It has a typical waltz-like quality. Josh Davis composed this song under the name Raydeen. According to Beat the Indie Drum, Raydeen hasn't officially released anything but this song. Josh Davis, however, has gained notoriety for composing music on his Nintendo Gameboy.

The song, "Me" stands out as the unique track on the EP. A sound that imitates a hammer hitting metal, with a ratchet and a deep drumbeat predominantly drives the song. Mank's vocals sound strained and filled with pain. As the most upbeat song on the album, it catches the listener's ear. Milf, a band from Buffalo, originally wrote "Me." According to Beat the Indie Drum, the band never gained notoriety because of bad timing.

To find this EP go to www.hussalonia.com and click on the news section. That will provide the link to download the album. Album artwork is also available to download to an iPod or to print for an album cover