Martin Hagfors (HGH+Home Groan)

Martin Hagfors               Men and Flies



A brilliant songwriter finally paints his masterpiece Having released over a
dozen records with the bands HGH and Home Groan, singer/ songwriter Martin
Hagfors is now making his solo debut with the orchestrated album Men and
Flies. As one of Scandinavia?s leading folk-rock artists, American-born
Hagfors has collaborated with a variety of  Norwegian musicians such as The
National Bank, Big Bang, Motorpsycho, Askil Holm and the ever popular
Hellbillies. Hagfors has also worked as a soundman for an impressive list of
international artists ranging from BB King, Dizzy Gillespie,Tracy Chapman,
Astor Piazolla, Etta James to Elliot Smith, The Pixies and Townes Van Zandt.

Men And Flies is arranged by Lars Horntveth of Jaga Jazzist and The National
Bank fame and this album also doubles as his production debut. The BBC named
Jaga Jazzists first album, A Livingroom Hush, the best jazz album of 2002.
Lars Horntveth´s solo work is also highly acclaimed.
Hagfors is a skilled musician, renowned for his diversity and
experimentation with a wide variety of instruments and sounds. On Men and
Flies Hagfors retains his traditional folk spirit but blends it with
Horntveths genius arrangements creating a unique combination of
orchestrated pop, jazz and chamber music. The horn section which includes
the ECM solo artist, Mathias Eick is particularly strong in the beautifully
orchestrated, lyrically sensuous and originally-titled, Tattooed On My Eyes.
Often likened to a modern day Woody Guthrie, Martin Hagfors is a natural
lyricist and storyteller. Politically active and socially conscious, Hagfors
is one of the few artist to express his political opinions in his music, and
Men and Flies is no exception; the track, I Need To Know eloquently
addresses issues such as CO2 quotas and the war in Iraq. Similar to Guthrie,
Hagfors has earned his reputation and his success as a working artist,
constantly writing and gigging.
Men and Flies will be performed live with The Norwegian Broadcasting
Orchestra on 5 February 2009 at Rockefeller in Oslo. The concert will be
broadcast at a later date.

- Lisa Stromoy

Men and Flies" Martin Hagfors latest effort, is Indie songwriting at its finest. Hagfors does a fantastic job with this record both in his eloquent lyrics and in the choice instrumentation on every song. The first track off the album, "Appetite" features a beautiful staccato string arrangement and a vocal approach similar to the Indie master himself, Elliot Smith. Another great selection on "Men and Flies" is the song "Tattooed on My Eyes." This song has that element of fusing both old and new rock sounds with an end result of something between The Band and Ryan Adams. Hagfors really does an outstanding job on this CD and is a real hidden gem amongst his musical peers.
-Shaun and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team - Radio Indy