All I can say is, I'm floored. Listening to this is like stepping on a piece of bubble gum---it grabs onto you and it just won't let go. Hanzsolo, AKA Hanz Erickson, has produced THE underground pop album of the year, better yet---a timeless pop masterpiece if there ever was one. Honestly, the only problem I see is the dumb name, which George Lucas will probably put out of our misery if he ever gets wind of it. For now, ignore the name, trust me on this one! 

Erickson seems to get right down to business with the slippery rock groove Trying Not To Fall, but we soon find that this is only the warmup. By song two he simply kicks it into full gear with the incredible sugar pop of Cling To Me, an acoustic driver that is so catchy and cool that it can't help but stick in your head like superglue. From there, Erickson gives us the tearjerking The Endblock, which sets up the slam dunk---the perfectly meandering and melancholy Matchbook, the type of song that Brian Wilson only wishes he could still write. Wow... 

But, by far, the climax here is the clever pop of I Wish I Were Your Hair, with lyrics that simply dazzle: I wish I were your hair / I'd catch the breeze to kiss your cheek / I wish I were your sun streaked hair when you let me down / So that I could trace every line about your face / Your shoulders would be my resting place just let me down. I would go on, but I'm only wasting your time, when you should be busy buying this album.
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Attention, enterprising A&R reps: Sign this guy right now. While "Closet Pop" does seem a bit scattered at times — some of the songs date back seven years or more — Erickson clearly has a knack for writing hypercommercial material that sounds a lot like, well, John Mayer. (Music nerds may also hear a striking vocal resemblance to Green Gartside of '80s pop minstrels Scritti Politti, particularly on the track "Turn Your Eyes to Mine.")

Erickson knows how to work his acoustic guitar, bobbing it in and out of lighter-than-air songs that sound romantic, even if they're about meeting a wino on the bus ("Act") or after-bar booty calls ("Friends With Benefits"). There are thousands of college girls out there waiting to discover this, their next favorite record.
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HanZsolo is a sweet walkin’, jive talkin’, one-man soul music machine —sort of. A quirky crossbreed of Jamiroquai and XTC, Hanz’s debut LP, the aptly titled Closet Pop, is guaranteed to have lovelorn listeners shaking their asses and wiping their tears simultaneously. Right off the bat with the intricately layered “Trying Not To Fall,” it’s established that the trio of Hanz Erickson (vocals, guitars, keyboards galore), Corina Malbuarn (bass) and Ollie Bauer (drums) is composed of some damned inventive and precocious music makers. At times the sheer number of vocal melodies and keyboard parts gets a little overwhelming (to call Erickson an emotive singer would be a serious understatement)—but it’s hard to fault a young band for being too ambitious on their debut. More sedate moments are also present, the solo acoustic “Matchbook” is particularly effective, and on the whole it looks as though the Twin Cities music scene has found the new soulful peripatetic pop combo it’s been desperately in need of.
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Hanz Erickson knows that there’s more to a band than a catchy name.  His group’s latest, Closet Pop, highlights a brand of pop rock that’s steeped in inescapable melody.  Released in 2003, the masterfully produced Pop is chock full o’ the acoustic rock sound that catapulted Five-For Fighting and Jason Mraz to fame.  It’s polished, bright and squeaky clean – it’s the kind of music that Cities 97 would love to get their hands on.  Check out “The Endblock,”  “Act” and the album’s  fantastic artwork.  Best for fans of: John Mayer, Dave Matthews, acoustic-rock, sunshine.
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