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Review: 'Haglof, Karen'
'Perseverance and Grace'   

-  Album: 'Perseverance and Grace'
-  Genre: 'Alt/Country' -  Release Date: '22nd April 2016'

Our Rating:
Karen Haglof may be best known as a former member of noise rock Band of Susans who at one point featured a pre-Helmet Page Hamilton in their lineup. Since her departure from the band in the early 90s following contributing to the ‘Love Agenda’ album and featuring on a brace of Peel Sessions, she spent the majority of her time earning a medical degree and working on the haematology / oncology department of New York University Hospital (where she remains on staff).

But you know what music is like. It’s in the blood (if you’ll pardon the quip), and Karen returned to the studio in 2014, resulting in her solo debut album Western Holiday. And now we have Perseverance and Grace. On the one hand it’s a far cry from the gritty, guitar-driven sound of Band of Susans. On the other, there was a certain twisted country undercurrent to many of their songs, and it’s this which is strongly in evidence on ‘Perseverance and Grace’. As such, despite on the surface sounding very different, there is still an element of continuity to be found here.

‘Cowgirl Clothes’ kicks things off with a skipping country/western twang with some Smiths-esque indie jangle in the mix (think of the rockabilly skiffling of ‘Rusholme Ruffians’). It sets both thee tone and tempo for what is a lively country-rock album driven by some strong drumming and rock ‘n’ roll guitar. The title track is a solid country / blues workout, marked by an unexpectedly sturdy bassline, and the album packs no shortage of articulate, feelgood country tunes.

Haglof’s frequent mentions of cowboys in the lyrics evokes and indeed romanticises a bygone age of Stetsons and spurs, without going down the path of yeehaas and line-dancing, chewing tobacco and shoot-‘em-ups. ‘’Perseverance and Grace’ may lack the uniqueness of her work with Band of Susans, and equally, it’s unlikely to achieve the cult credibility, but in its favour, it clearly has a broader commercial appeal, and is testament to Haglof’s perseverance and grace that she’s produced such an appealing work.

Karen Haglof Online

Karen Haglof may be best known as a former member of noise rock Band of Susans who at one point featured a pre-Helmet Page Hamilton in their lineup. Since her departure from the band in the early 90s following contributing to the ‘Love Agenda’ album and featuring on a brace of Peel Sessions, she spent the majority of her time earning a medical degree and working on the haematology / oncology department of New York University Hospital (where she remains on staff).

But you know what music is like. It’s in the blood (if you’ll pardon the quip), and Karen returned to the studio in 2014, resulting in her solo debut album Western Holiday. And now we have Perseverance and Grace. On the one hand it’s a far cry from the gritty, guitar-driven sound of Band of Susans. On the other, there was a certain twisted country undercurrent to many of their songs, and it’s this which is strongly in evidence on ‘Perseverance and Grace’. As such, despite on the surface sounding very different, there is still an element of continuity to be found here.

‘Cowgirl Clothes’ kicks things off with a skipping country/western twang with some Smiths-esque indie jangle in the mix (think of the rockabilly skiffling of ‘Rusholme Ruffians’). It sets both thee tone and tempo for what is a lively country-rock album driven by some strong drumming and rock ‘n’ roll guitar. The title track is a solid country / blues workout, marked by an unexpectedly sturdy bassline, and the album packs no shortage of articulate, feelgood country tunes.

Haglof’s frequent mentions of cowboys in the lyrics evokes and indeed romanticises a bygone age of Stetsons and spurs, without going down the path of yeehaas and line-dancing, chewing tobacco and shoot-‘em-ups. ‘’Perseverance and Grace’ may lack the uniqueness of her work with Band of Susans, and equally, it’s unlikely to achieve the cult credibility, but in its favour, it clearly has a broader commercial appeal, and is testament to Haglof’s perseverance and grace that she’s produced such an appealing work.

Karen Haglof Online

  author: Christopher Nosnibor

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Haglof, Karen - Perseverance and Grace