Album Review

Hanoi Janes – Year Of Panic

• 7th Mar 2010

How to describe Hanoi Janes? Debut album ‘Year of Panic’ sounds like the Beach Boys, trapped underwater, in an 80s video game.

This baffling comparison is the most succinct explanation you can hope for when it comes to this German-based innovator.
And speaking of succinctness, the album consists of 15 tracks – which may sound lengthy, until you realise not one song even reaches the 3 minute mark (the longest track is chilled-out number ‘Past Lovers’ at 2:53). This means that on your way to work, you’ll find yourself listening to the whole album at least twice – whilst nodding your head and tapping your fingers on the steering wheel enthusiastically.

The work of just one man and an 8-track, every song will transport you to the beach (albeit it a strange, retro beach where Pacman is singing karaoke). Jerky, jangling album opener ‘The Boys Are Out’ is as enjoyable as it is alien with its distant-sounding vocals, and sets the tone for the next 14 tracks. Though it’s actually hard to hear the lyrics clearly, you can tell from the titles that Hanoi Janes find inspiration in the most disparate places – from sand and sea (‘Beach Kids’, ‘Surfin KMC’) to love and life (‘Our Lives’, ‘Can I Walk You Home’) to the unidentifiable (‘Crystal Veins’ , ‘Sag Sag Sag’). Whatever he’s singing about, he manages to make it sound light, bright, and breezy – the perfect soundtrack to a day out or a road trip.

Now Hanoi Janes’ Year of Panic is over and the album complete, we can all sit back and enjoy the finished article with a cold beer and a boogie in the back garden – even if it doesn’t look like summer, with this album on the stereo it feels like it!