Formed in 2010, American two-piece Little Hurricane are a soul-informed blues act with a small profile and a larger-than-life character. Born when Celeste “CC” Spina advertised for band members and met Anthony “Tone” Catalano on Craigslist, Little Hurricane rapidly put together a set of original songs and released the well-received ‘Homewrecker’ in 2011. Subsequently the band released a covers set (2013’s varied ‘Stay Classy’) and a follow-up album (2014’s ‘Gold Fever’) whilst touring around the world to increasing acclaim. Far removed from the lo-fi garage-blues of similarly minded two piece acts such as The Kills, Blood Red Shoes and White Stripes, Little Hurricane make considerable use of studio technology to craft their blues-based yet accessible anthems. The result is, unfortunately, somewhat mixed with some beautiful gems nestled amidst a set that too often trades character in its bid for a contemporary sound.
Released via Mascot, ‘Same sun same moon’ is short and sweet, offering up twelve tracks that range from gutsy blues to studio-enhanced pop music, all given a pristine sheen by Tone whose studio experience runs from John Paul Jones to Gwen Stefani. Opening with the echoing title track, Little Hurricane draw on everything from contemporary R&B to Radiohead, unfortunately ending up sounding closer to Maroon 5. With its gleaming production penetrated by just the tiniest degree of grit in the guitars, it has a nagging melody and a strong vocal performance from Tone who oozes soul, but you can’t help but wish they’d ease up on the Pro Tools. ‘Bad business’ takes things in a more traditionally bluesy direction with its gnarled guitar riff and taut drums. It’s an early highlight that gives way to the studio-enhanced ‘OTL’ which draws together filtered percussion and split male-female vocals. It’s still loosely linked to the blues, but the line is stretched tight and the track feels like a step too far into overt commercialism. Similarly, whilst ‘isn’t it great’ initially takes us back in a more organic direction with its stabbing guitar figure, a chorus heavily informed by modern day production tropes detracts from the vibe established on the verse although it is redeemed in a gutsy finale. ‘Take it slow’ has a lazy beat and some gorgeous guitar work to its credit, the studio used more sparingly here, whilst the split vocals recall the late, lamented Seafood. The first half of the record concludes with the Twin Peaks-esque ‘Lake Tahoe Eyes’, all dusty guitar and gritty tube distortion and you can’t help but wish the album would focus more on crafting just such an atmosphere.
The second half of the album kicks off with the all-too-brief instrumental ‘march of the living’, which is drawn straight from a Tarantino soundtrack before a ‘Mt Senorita’ swaggers into view, with nimble guitar and a touch of cowbell for good measure. A track that edges into White Stripes territory, it has a deftly woven melody that sticks in the brain and some nice guitar work. A sweet ballad, ‘For life’ once again sees echoing layers of guitar underpinning the central riff whilst ‘you remind me’ is a deceptively simple track with a funky vibe that even edges into reggae territory as the track progresses. Another highlight, ‘Slingshot’ is a stripped-down bluesy number that really captures the band at their best. With swirling guitar and a hypnotic beat, it’s a fantastic track and it captures a spirit that is so often absent across the record. The album closes with a similarly raw ‘Moon’s gone cold’, a sweet, acoustic finale that allows the light to fade down gently.
The power of the studio is a double-edged sword. Whilst ‘Same sun same moon’ sounds like an expensive and expansive production, too often you yearn for a more straight-forward representation of the band’s qualities, shorn of the production tropes that sweep through the mix. Often memorable and certainly accessible, Little Hurricane have produced a record that will undoubtedly find favour with their fans and it is certainly well executed and musically flawless. Yet, for all that, there is little of the potent depth of feeling that you look for in a blues release. When the album is good (as on ‘Slingshot’ and ‘Bad business’) it’s really good and you long for a greater whole, but ultimately too much soul is traded away by the production (especially on songs like ‘OTL’) with the result that the album ultimately feels like something of a missed opportunity. 6
