Hallelujah The Hills - Prepare To Qualify EP

Ryan Walsh, David Bentley, Elio DeLuca, Joseph Marrett, Eric Meyer & Brian Rutledge, better known as Hallelujah The Hills, have just released a new EP for sale AND free download (I wonder which of the two you’ll chose) titled, Prepare To Qualify. The 7 track EP flows along nicely like a collection of pseudo-rough-edged stories, told over a dying camp fire. HTH’s folk influences are apparent throughout, but are most obvious on the songs that rely more heavily on Bentley’s Cello. There were a couple of songs, such as ‘Let It Wave’, where I nearly thought I was listening to Nottingham’s Seachange, whom I have always held a place in my heart for. Both bands have a very tangled sound about them. From their un-perfect timing, to the rough over dubbing of vocal tracks, it’s a very constant rawness, which I’m hoping is as intentional as it is enjoyable. Prepare To Qualify also (randomly) holds a live recording of a track called ‘(You Better Hope You) Die Before Me’ that sounds like it was taped at a rowdy college bar on a Thursday night. Needless to say, Hallelujah The Hills is a band that focus on the overall message and feel of their music. ‘Nurses 5 Float Past’ is the best track on the EP, although it should’ve been saved as the last. It would’ve been a really great exit track. In all, The EP plays like a lightly-scripted link of people songs, built on character and brutal honesty. A completely creative attempt at preserving the amateur drive and spontaneity of a generally unheard-of band. Plus, I’m a sucker for actual musicians using samplers to cue old spoken word wav files, mid emotional build up.