A Hawk And A Hacksaw is an album recorded by Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel) in Saumur, France, using a chicken, some geese, gongs, cats, a duck, spoons, pieces of tin and various melodic instruments. Its the result of sitting in the sun by the Loire reading Cervantes. Recalling Kurt Weill's orchestrations, Carl Stallings visionary cartoon soundtracks and Tom Waits more whimsical works, Mr Barnes creates a playfully gothic atmosphere with his multi-layered, frantic compositions. Mixing field recordings with accordion, piano and bursts of drunken choruses, he generates a singular and unnerving orchestral whole. A songs direction can hinge on a dogs bark or a phone ringing, while cacophony and sweet hymn-like harmonies cohabit in entertainingly unexpected passages.
