Oct 07 2009
Old Hannah – When I Die
Old Hannah are a folk-duo out of Boston. Their songs create memories of debatable origin. They elicit a nostalgia not entirely based in reality, more like some vague swirling sensation of times past. Like a montage of youth shot through corroding, color-beaten film. Specifically their song “When I Die”, which, like most things I obsess over, keeps me up at night
Old Hannah is guitarist Tyler Bussey and singer A.K. Bussey plays guitar with the craftsmanship and melodic sensibility of Elliot Smith, embedding slight, lilting melodies into palm-muted chords while A.K. sings with the conviction of one who understands Grace as both abstraction and fact of life. In “When I Die”, a song as profound as it is simple, Bussey’s guitar playing acts as an understated guide to A.K.’s melody as she details post-mortal wanderings and laments, traipsing through golden gates and floating above the world, images that mirror the ambitions of her vocals. And when they touch the chorus, a nearly ethereal portion of the song existing only as a riff and a line, Bussey reaches an infectious slide which propels A.K.’s lament to the heavens: “And when I die, I’ll sing you songs.”
I first saw Old Hannah at a folk show where most people played covers. Given the power of “When I Die,” I assumed it to be a song handed down through the generations and was astounded to find it was theirs.
From Old Hannah’s Bright World EP:
Beautiful.. I was searching for ‘when I die’ by Motherlode but very happy to stumble accross this. im now searching for Old Hannah..