Cory Hanson, Pale Horse Rider

I love an album that has a strong musical viewpoint and sets a tone right up front for what to expect next...and then delivers on it. Cory Hanson, the lead singer and guitarist for the band Wand, has done just that with his second solo album, Pale Horse Rider, creating a moody, psych-folk, Southwest desert atmosphere and vibe that set the tone for this excellent collection of songs.

Recorded in the high desert region of the Mojave desert, away from a studio, and surrounded by psychotropic cacti, Hanson sought to take a simpler approach to the instrumentals on his second solo record and have the album be more lyrically focused. While simpler, Hanson has created a specific atmosphere that he describes as being the force of gravity holding down and together the songs and album which take a dark look at the myths and truths of cities that Hanson knows so well, such as LA and Las Vegas and the people who inhabit them. They are somber and forbidding looks and views, but somehow also sanguine. It all makes Pale Horse Rider an alluring album.