Hal – by…Hal

RETRO REVIEW OF THE WEEK1

The eponymous debut album of Irish band Hal was met with critical acclaim when released by Rough Trade Records in 2005.  The band, formed in 2003, comprised brothers Dave and Paul Allen, Simon Freedman, and Stephen O’Brien.

Hal was feted by some as “the” band of 2004 upon the release of their first single, “Worry About the Wind”, and their album went on to be one of the best reviewed of 2005.

Embarking on a world tour in 2004-2005, tracks What a Lovely Dance” and “Play the Hits” were featured on Match of the Day and 2004’s World Cup.  Hal_(album)

There’s a strong Beach Boys influence evident in “Hal”, with close harmonies and a West Coast fresh and summery feel.  There are no “B” sides in this album – every track could easily have been released as an “A” side.  Brilliant in concert, the band next released the EP “Down in the Valley” in 2012, followed by second album, “The Time The Hour”.  The massive hiatus between musical releases was due in no small part to main songwriter Dave Allen moving to the US. A pity, for a band with such promise.

Hal might no longer be with us (we don’t know for sure, but as nothing’s been updated for over 2 years, it seems likely) but their legacy remains on the interwebs.  Check out the video for “Play the Hits” here:

Hal’s internet presence can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and their website.

*Legal

About the author

There’s a lot of music out there - good music. At Essentially Pop our remit is that we cover music that deserves to be heard, with a particular focus on independent artists. That doesn't mean we won't cover your old favourites - rather we hope to give you some new favourites as well.

We no longer accept unpaid PR agency work. We believe the creative arts have value, and this includes writing. As always, we will write about artists who contact us - or who we contact - for free - but we can no longer work free of charge for PR agencies. We work hard, we put in a lot of hours writing, and we ask that you respect that. Contact us for our very reasonable rates.

Follow us on: Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Myspace, Facebook, Spotify, Youtube. Drop us an email on hello@essesntiallypop.com

Leave a Reply