In the City

Musially speaking: So, this song shares one thing with Can't Stop; it's restless, mind-bending sexual energy. There. I've said it. Hanson? Sexual? Oh yes my children, that's what Auntie Laura said. And it's all Taylor's fault. He's saying "Do you love me," but to listen to his delivery, it sounds like he's thinking something quite different.

Lyrically speaking: Who cares? Taylor can breathe in my ear any time he likes.

If Only:

Musially speaking: So, I had an immediate knee-jerk reaction to this song. I hated it. I thought it was a horrible attempt at trying to preserve some of the sugary sweetness of Middle of Nowhere, just to keep the stubborn Let's Keep Hanson Little Forever fans. And then I changed my mind. Maybe it's the insane boyancy of Taylor's vocal, or the way the song just moves so beautifully, or the way the bridge just explodes out of nowhere and catches you totally off guard, or the way it just dances off into the sunest, leaving you more madly in love with these boys and their music than ever before. So yeah. Uncle. I love If Only.

Lyrically speaking: Taylor Hanson contemplates telling a girl he loves her but doesn't do it because he's a chicken. Oh my goodness. Please come be my boyfriend. "I just keep thinkin bout your hands, your face and all these lonely nights?!" How Taylor Hanson can even talk about lonely nights is totally beyond me.

This Time Around:

Musially speaking: From its subdued beginning to the last second of its soaring Jonny Lang-assisted finale, this song is marvellous. It comes to life at the chorus, when the song goes from gentle, mournful ballad to explosive rocker. The song just sweeps you away. Powerful. Lovely. Shows some serious musical muscle.

Lyrically speaking: Now, I'm not one to toss around the word "profound" easily, but it just might be appropriate in this case. About "war" on its literal level, it's more basically about how far we would go to protect our beliefs. Would you die for what you belive in? And even then, what have you gained? Is it better to live compromised or die with your morals intact? Answer: Yay for Hanson.

Love Song:

Musially speaking: This song sort of floats in from some other planet. Despite it's almost Yanni-esque production, it works on a lot of levels. But then again, Ike-as-sensitive-boy rarely fails in general.

Lyrically speaking: Welcome to More Than Anything-Phase II. A bit of growing up has happened since then however. Here, Isaac realizes the pitfalls of loving too much, too little, not at all. It's aknowledging the crummy side of love without giving up on the practice all together.

Runaway Run:

Musially speaking: Rick Ocasek may have gotten the boot before this song came to fruition, but boy howdy, can you feel his influence or what? The opening bars, literally, sound like the intro to a Cars song. Beefed up from the gentler demo version, this song most certainly contains one of the prettiest melodies on the album. The bridge is just beautiful, flies on the wings of an eagle even.

Lyrically speaking: Boy laments relationship in which he loved the girl more than she loved him. Regardless of whether they're speaking from experience or not, (If they are, who are these stupid girls who keep dumping them?) there are a couple of oh-so-Hansony lyrical gems in here. Example: "One breath is a million sighs." Exactly, my boy. Exactly.

Save Me:

Musially speaking: Your textbook Love Jones ballad, but the yearning in Taylor's voice alone is enough to keep you listening. The rather adventurous use of Taylor's falsetto is neat to hear. It adds emotion to the proceedings, as if we needed more of that.

Lyrically speaking: Boy loses girl. Boy wants girl back. Boy spews line after line of cheesy cliched sentimentalities. And we freaking melt into a puddle on the floor, regardless. Bear witness to the power of Hanson, ladies and gentlemen.

You Never Know:

Musially speaking: Thanks to its drumline, this songs conjures images of a pre-psychadelic Beatles. And by gosh, we like it. Standard mid-tempo rocker. Loopy sound effects peppered throughout. Very 60s. Very cool. Our favorite parts? The way Taylor says "baby" and the cowbell.

Lyrically speaking: Put it this way. Isaac and Tay growling "Consider well the kind of stream where you've been fishin," in exacting unison, an octave apart. Yum.

Dying to Be Alive:

Musially speaking: This is a song that had wonderful potential, but was given rather heavy-handed treatment in the studio. Rose Stone et al bog down and muddle rather than accentuate the proceedings. It's like one of Taylor's bad outfits. Too many elements working together at the same time.

Lyrically speaking: Interesting play on words. Quite emotional and inspirational and all of that. Hints of greater things to come.

Can't Stop:

Musially speaking: When Hanson said that there would be a "Latin Flavored" song on the album, we all shuddered. Given the current popular definition of Latin music, we all had images of Jennifer Lopez and disco balls gyrating in our heads. But rather than try to make a "Latin song," they did a wise thing. They did what they do best, which is make a pop song, but they added some quirky Latin elements to the fold. And shock of all shocks, it works. Rather than directly emulating a Latin sound, the elements are suggestive of a Latin style. Anything further would have been a cheap gringo immitation. (see: Livin' La Vida Loca) Beyond that, the energy of the track is infectious, Isaac's spoken "tick tocks" are downright sexy, and Taylor's vocal is eccstatic. Probably the coolest track on the album.

Lyrically speaking: This song is proof positive that a song need not be lyrically complex or profound to be effective. The driving, incessant "can't stops" make you wonder exactly how and to what degree the boys are thinking about you, and um… what you happen to be wearing in those thoughts.

I Wish that I was There:

Musially speaking: It may not be the most musically challenging or bravura track on the album. It may not have the sparkle or the finesse of the Taylor Songs, but you can't deny the charm of Zac Hanson or his voice or his general inescapable huggable boyness. To quote Stefanie, "I'd want this to be on the soundtrack of my life. I can picture myself walking down the street to music like this."

Lyrically speaking: So yeah, Zac misses you.

Sure About It:

Musially speaking: Mildly folky.

Lyrically speaking: A song about a girl struggling with addiction is not something we would have expected on a Hanson album, but alas, everything chages, and here we are. The narrator's stance on the subject is up for grabs at this point, given Taylor's inability to speak English, so I guess we'll have to wait for liner notes before a full interpretation is possible.

Hand in Hand:

Musially speaking: It seems as though some of Jonny Lang's influence has slipped into an Isaac song. In fact, it even features Mr. Lang in a solo. We're not sure if those two facts are linked in any way. Dark and sinewy, this song oozes with angst. Laura likes the twisty, thoroughly un-popish vibe of this song. Not many people agree with her it seems.

Lyrically speaking: The song was worth keeping for the "Can't find the bridge from my mind to reality" line alone.

Song to Sing:

Musially speaking: The most achingly perfect song, the kind of billowy, emotional stuff we heard the first rumblings of in With You in Your Dreams. Three voices and a piano. Their very natural and abundant talent shines throughout.

Lyrically speaking: Warning: Watch as Laura delicately places foot on limb. This song is about us. As in us us, the fans us. These are not the sort of loving, gentle lyrics we're used to from Hanson. "I've never been just longing for your lovin. I've never been just wearin down to nothing." It's almost an apology to the fans. An "I'm sorry I can't love you the way you need me to." They're saying that they're looking to the radio, to music, for someone to follow too, only we've found someone and they haven't yet. They're asking us to aknowledge that they're people, that they're no different than us, despite the pedistal we've put them on. Or not.