But as it happens, Middle Of Nowhere is worthy of our attention for other reasons as well. Even the more questionable material is, at worst, music for, about, and made by kids sixteen and under. Still, as young writers and musicians with an indisputably authentic three-part harmony, Hanson is as real a band as it needs to be. Real enough, at least, to be a perfect antidote to MTV's other poster boys, the decidedly less-fun Marilyn Manson . It's as focused, yet outrageous, and as hauntingly seductive, yet emotionally diverse, as you'll encounter on a collection of acoustic instrumentals.
Refuge is a terrifying journey into avant-garde, subtly thematic territory.