On May 4th, the un-Googleable rock band Hawk, led by the enigmatic American artist David Hawkins, will release its highly-anticipated new album, Bomb Pop, featuring the all-star lineup of Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Elliot Smith) on drums, Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, R.E.M., Big Star) on bass, vocals, keyboards and guitar, and Gary Louris (The Jayhawks, Ray Davies) on vocals, and longtime Hawk and Be guitarist Aaron Bakker. Hawkins, also leader of the orchestral folk-rock band Be, is an acclaimed abstract painter and co-founder of the avant-garde ‘happening’ group The Black Mountain Collective.
Bomb Pop is the follow-up to Hawk’s acclaimed albums I’m On Fire, Princess America (which featured a cameo in voice and word by Lawrence Ferlinghetti) and college-radio sensation Rock n Roll. “This is my dream band,” said Hawkins recently at his home in Venice Beach when speaking of the new album. “To have Pete on drums, Ken on bass, vocals and multiple instruments, Gary singing with me, and Aaron on lead guitar, it doesn’t get much better than that. I’m really honored to have these guys playing with me.”
Bomb Pop is more distilled, compact, even upbeat; verging toward power pop over the Stonesy blues of “I’m On Fire”. As a whole, the album works on several levels, the historic, the symbolic, and the spiritual. By the end of Bomb Pop, you just want to hear it again. And again. This is a rich and powerful song cycle that will renew your faith in rock music, and you’re one of the first to hear it. Put it on, and turn it up.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Allison’s Gone”, a song that brings to mind acts like Old 97’s, Elvis Costello, and Big Star, with a punchy beat, catchy chorus, and plenty of jangly guitar shredding. With its jubilant and bouncy organ, the song feels like it could be a moptop 60s pop number with the right amount of sunny psychedelia and garage rock defiance to kick it into its own realm. Mainly this tune showcases a group of top notch players and songwriters all firing on full cylinders while checking their egos at the door. As cliche as the term supergroup sounds, with Hawk it is absolutely worthy yet there is none of the bloated self-righteousness on display. Instead, we get a group of guys having one hell of a good time and making some damn good music in the process.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the song, David Hawkins has this to say:
“‘Allison’s Gone’ holds the opposites in a sense; the lyrics are about the death of someone I loved, but there’s a vibrancy and a sense of joy in the music; especially in the choruses. It wasn’t a conscious choice, but it happens a lot in my music, where there are complex or conflicting emotions in one song, just like there are in real life. I like that. It’s more interesting. Things aren’t quite as simple as most songs would have you believe. (laughs)
One of my favorite albums of all time, the third Velvet Underground album, covers similar terrain of loss and transcendence. Music is so profound that way; it not only helps you explore and process emotions, but making a song from that experience kind of softens it somehow and leaves golden traces on what was a very painful experience at the time. It can lift you up.
I think we nailed the recording, both musically and emotionally. This is like a dream band, with Pete on drums, Ken on bass, multiple instruments and vocals, Gary singing with me, and Aaron Bakker also on guitar, I’m grateful to have such great musicians playing with me. We’re starting to be able to capture the songs the way I hear them in my head. And that’s exciting.”
LISTEN:
Bomb Pop is out May 4th. You can pre-order the album here and visit hawkmusic.net for more music and info.
