‘Angel Numbers’, Hamish Hawk’s follow-up to 2021’s acclaimed ‘Heavy Elevator’, was once again produced by Idlewild’s Rod Jones at his Post Electric studio in Leith, Edinburgh and finds the singer-songwriter offering up his witty and wry observations on all the foibles of modern life…
Opener ‘Once Upon an Acid Glance’ quickly sets the scene with the admittance that ‘I haven’t the faintest, foggiest idea’ – something all of us anxious types can fully understand. It then transforms into a more story about being trapped in a web of bullshit, feeling like a prisoner and heartbreak: ‘You can close your eyes and think of him’. ‘Think of Us Kissing’ has Springteen-meets-Sea Power bursts of guitar swirling around potent lines like ‘Our frightened allies take swipes at my side’ while the brilliantly titled ‘Elvis Lookalike Shadows’ is more in the alt-folk space as Hamish namedrops the Ed Sullivan show and proudly declares ‘When suffering didn’t fit me, I could stand up and sing’. ‘Bridget St. John’ takes the record back into that Boss sound – although with added doses of melancholy romanticism before ‘Frontman’ – featuring an appearance by Anna B. Savage – heads into an eerie space with haunting harmonies and macabre lyrics: ‘And yet what looks like blood on my hands’.
‘Desperately’ is a baroque love – or should that be lust? – song with lyrics about falling head over heels for someone – ‘I want you loud. I want you now. Dance with me’ – before ‘Bill’ slows things down as Hamish begs the subject of his afection to ‘come and find me’. The title track is altogether more bombastic with a stomping stop-start sound, piercing guitars and defiant statements – ‘I’ve been known to sleepwalk over firing ranges’; ‘Life is for dying’ – before ‘Money’ and ‘Dog-Eared August’ throw in more melodic hooks, synths and squelchy feedback. ‘Rest and Veneers’ is a breezy piece with Laurel Canyon vibes while the closing ‘Grey Seals’ starts in quiet and contemplative mode as Hamish loses track who he is, where he’s supposed to be and what he should be doing…
‘Angel Numbers’ is a record that finds Hamish Hawk earning his wings and soaring high.
