NEW MUSIC REVIEW: Todd Hannigan Vol 2 – Courtside for the Apocalypse

Album cover.

For a man so worried, California surfer Todd Hannigan’s music is surprisingly soft and accepting. Think Jack Johnson to a slower beat, with a taste of Cat Stevens. Folky rock with a country accent.

Hannigan’s deep vocals rumble over plucky acoustic guitar to give the title song Courtside for the Apocalypse an on-the-road feel. And Fast Lane could have come from the flip-side of a Dire Straits album with its style of steel slide and bending electric notes. Things Are Gonna Change and Weight of the World are “rockier” with more pronounced electric guitar riffs and one breakaway lead.

The lyrics are catchy and the melodies flow. Each song has a line or two to grab onto. Something you’re already singing as you jam the day’s selection into your player. And the songs come together to tell a story.

Todd Hannigan.

It’s all happening too fast and Todd Hannigan just wants to relax but his mind won’t let him.

The Apocalypses: going past 29, cause what the hell’s on the other side of thirty anyway? Even if, “it can get expensive when it’s always Friday.” A planet, about to be swallowed by its own excesses, and no one’s doing anything about it.

Heavy stuff that plagues us. Even Flowers has some intensity with its swelling violin. But then we go back in time to Mountainview: a dobro and whisky lyrics that make you want to slug back Jack Daniels with the boys.

Hannigan and his surfboard spend a lot of time on the road. So, we should see him come back to Australia some time soon. In the meantime, Volume 2: Courtside for the Apocalypse is out now. Visit iTunes,  the band site: www.toddhannigan.com or www.cdbaby.com.

- by Shari Hooper

Todd Hannigan and Tom Curren. Photo: Javan Lila