scoundrel, Jun 02, 2004
Hacienda’s second full-length, Narrowed Eyes, finds them jettisoning the trip-hop that marked their first album and embracing more jazz. The instrumentation, as well, is more varied. While “Sci-Fi Saloon” has a sad horn piercing through the haze, the horns on “Flannel Sunset” have a sunny, swinging quality to them that’s infectious. “Stereo Softbar” has a guitar riff that’s the some of the best cowboy chill that I’ve heard. “Fantastic Day Out” is like the dubbiest picnic you’ve ever been on. The final track, “Lazy Mason Fills My Bong,” is slightly darker with some more of that guitar that I love, and it’s excellent, to boot. A definite step up from their first album, and a force unto its own.