Please, allow me to gush about Ha Ha Tonka a little more. I’ll be the first to admit that I go through music extremely quickly, usually on a weekly basis. When a band holds my attention longer than that given week it means there is (in my view) something special about said band.

One such group has been Ha Ha Tonka. When I found “Caney Mountain” I was absorbed by the Midwestern vocals, rocking guitars, and four-part harmony. I immediately bought there debut album, Buckle in the Bible Belt, from the venerable eMusic, and quickly burned the CD in order to listen to it in the car. BitBB is a rollicking good time, full of said strong guitars, Midwestern twang, and sweet, sweet harmony.

The opener, “Up Nights”, gets Bible Belt off to an excellent start. Absent from the previously featured tracks was the piano, which it utilized here to an appealing end. This mellows out the gruff sound of “Caney Mountain” and makes Ha Ha Tonka much more radio-friendly.

Ha Ha Tonka – “Up Nights”

“Gusto” revels in off-beat heavy guitar and pushy percussion, matched with a much calmer chorus.

Ha Ha Tonka – “Gusto”

Finally, “Hangman” is an exercise in expert four-part harmony and soaring vocals. A wrenching scene of a man sentenced to hang… short but amazing.

Ha Ha Tonka – “Hangman” [Ministry recommended]

BitBB rarely slips and loses your attention. As tends to happen with debut albums (really, albums in general), the less well-crafted songs are left for last and bring the LP to a slower ending that I expected, but the pure power and energy of the first 8 tracks (give or take a few moments and “Falling In”) more than make up for it. Highly recommended!

(Buy Ha Ha Tonka’s Buckle in the Bible Belt at Amazon or eMusic)