Hanoi Janes - Year of Panic [CD]

"With the obvious homage the name implies, you d expect Hanoi Janes to be a group of riot grrrl angsty types, displaced in time by about 20 odd years. Having taken on the nickname given to Jane Fonda in the 70s because of her anti-war stance on Vietnam, these girls would be all bent up about, well you know, stuff. You d expect that, but you d be wrong. It is in fact primarily the work of one guy from Sachen, Germany Oliver Scharf. But then Hanoi Janes album, Year of Panic, is able to inspire all kinds of misconceptions. Name of the band aside, would you expect a German guy (who s a bit handy with an eight-track) to produce a series of beautifully lo-fi, sub two-minute, surf-pop tracks, full of buzzing guitar and bubblegum spirit. Maybe maybe not. But that s just what Scharf has done. The sound is distinctly garage, reminiscent of a 70s surf sound, and like The 5. 6. 7. 8 s, Hanoi Janes are able to launch into the genre with the luxury of being removed from the scene itself. Tracks like opener, "The Boys Are Out" and "Beach Kids" are unashamedly infectious, utilising catchy hooks, hand claps and the odd "Ooo ooo ooo" to great effect. The production is fuzzy, but that only adds to the overall charm of the album. Because charming is what it is, as Hanoi Janes have packed Year of Panic with some real gems. "Summer of Panic" offers something tinted with psychedelic sounds; "Our Lives" could have been an early track by The Strokes had they been influenced by the Californian sun rather than the New York shadows; "Good Bone" is a track which can only be performed if there are several oversized surf-boards nearby. Year of Panic is lo-fi, scuzzy garage surf-pop at its finest and it deserves to be the sound-track of your summer." -BOWLEGS, UK