Kevin Hearn returns with his Thin Buckle band (with guests Lou Reed,
Mary Margaret O’Hara and others) for another private showing of the
skewed imagery he retains and collects from the world around him. There
are “helicopters in the sand,” or “HITS.” Hearn repeats this line in
his gentle, small voice as the album closes. Well before that moment,
Havana Winter tends toward the hypnotic, even when more upbeat
pop and jazz passages are followed. It’s as if Hearn, playing July 28
at The Company House, is appealing to listeners’ subconscious
(semi-conscious?) head-space. He’s a great writer of words, but when
alert, listening closely, the music sounds unresolved.
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2009.
