Christopher Martin Hansen - Dos Sol Etude

Hear The Track Here

Obviously, if I mention one (Alderman in the last review) I have to also drag in the rest of the crew, namely Jim Miller (of Jim-n-Lisa fame) and Christopher Martin Hansen because they all seem to be connected at the hip at the moment. Also it was only a couple of months ago that I was complaining about not hearing enough of CMH and boy, has he made up for that lack in a very short time. Chris, like Alderman and Jim-n-Lisa are long standing Soundclick veterans with track records longer than most newbies can imagine so it's pretty much taken for granted that these artists are never going to settle for second best. Jim Miller, in particular, has a fine ear for the right production and mix (he has his own mastering site) and that - to my mind - is what CMH has missed on previous outings. There is absolutely no doubt of CMH's technical ability as a guitarist, as pretty much all of my past reviews have stated - moreover every other guitarist I know seems to be a CMH fan.

Gotta be something there guv, I say.

Jim Miller supplied his superlative (and highly distinctive) sax skills, the drum track and production on this track and - as CMH states on the song comments 'bought this song to life'. I can't testify to that because I don't think I heard the original of this, but hey, a CMH/Jim Miller collab is certainly a treat to be savoured. Dos Sol Etude turns out to be a track about a binary solar system, and their relationship to each other and I'd say that was an accurate description of what you will hear too; both Jim and Chris have a tremendously fluid instrumental style which really helps the track to establish itself early. For sure if you are already a Jim Miller and/or CMH fan you will just love this to bits; the counterpoint between the sax lines and the guitar lines is hair raising.

Granted it is billed as New Age and it does have a whiff of that about it, but both artists virtuosity raises it out of the usual hippie grabbag the genre wallows in; there is a lyrical quality about their work that shines through this track like a beacon. Jim Miller's performance is - as usual - faultless and his knob twiddling (Ed: he'd better be talking about the recording process) is a wonder to behold. As many of you know I hold rigidly fascistic views about what makes or breaks a mix and young Jim's yet to put a foot wrong in that regard. The combination of these two musicians alone would have been enough, but to then come up with something that truly sounds like an amalagm of their individual talents makes this irrisistable to fan and and new listener alike. Here's a track for anyone who takes the 'unsigned music isn't much good' theory too seriously. On the strength of this, unsigned music has never sounded finer, or in ruder health.

Two Stars from two (SC) stars. 8 fekkin billion from me of course. MUST HAVE.