Hasco Enjoyments – Wow!

Rope Worm

JP Hasson‘s Hasco Enjoyments is a curious affair; an evocative desert-minded one-man operation that draws on friends and fellow travellers to flesh out his solitary vignettes.

JP’s main instruments are baritone guitar, synth and Wurlitzer, and their sparse, measured sound seems at odds with some of the titles; opener “It’s OK To Put Ketchup On A Hot Dog, If That’s What You Like To Eat” is a pastoral guitar strum accompanied by fluttering flute. It is a dreamy, spare waft, with Trey Magnifique‘s gentle sax and the sound of water lending it a melancholy yearning, a soundtrack to a moment of clarity or an unexpected awakening.

They are all slow moving instrumentals that revel in the sense of awakening. David Pajo plays synth on “The Seattle Mariners Are My Favorite Baseball Team” and his keyboard drift reminds of some of the Aerial M stuff, but with a certain lightness; a dry airiness that also shares an aesthetic with those other languid desert-dwellers Scenic. The sounds are ghostly in places, but the scattering of spaceship effects allow the piece to grow and it feels as though it is expanding, swelling as we listen.

Bar Mckinnon takes a break from the maelstrom of Mr Bungle to cast spare, slow flute across the strong desert strums of “Finance, Fashion, Healthcare And Sports”. Its snake-like progress and atmosphere of inner strength couldn’t be further from the title, while Lord Phobos‘s lap steel in conjunction with JP’s baritone guitar couldn’t be more evocative of the desert. That low hum of the baritone brings to mind Idaho, another band who dwell in those hot places, ever searching for shade.

Considering this album is relatively short, the different conjunctions between instruments and their unique interplay makes it feel longer and more involving. The drifting melancholy of “Sometimes My Dad Is An Eagle” shares a vibe with Mazzy Star, but it only lasts for two minutes even though its subtle background drift somehow strengthens the feeling of being alone under enormous skies.

I love the inherent melancholy or the sense of solitude that runs through this album, but there is also an irresistible mystery. You imagine the resolute faces of desert canyons, sounds drifting and echoing from their ancient surfaces while the sax hangs like a bird in the updraft. The mix of players allows each of these pieces their own unique character, but the overall aesthetic ties them nicely together.

I could have done with something twice as long; but for now, Wow! is an absolute treat.

-Mr Olivetti-