One should be careful when using the term “God” to refer to
one’s self. They once called Clapton a God, but for good reason. He
was arguably the best guitar player of his day. The self proclaimed
Hod the God (a.k.a. Perry Hodder) is no Clapton, and he’s no God
either. He’s an English guy enamored with Bob Dylan and American
roots rock. His debut CD
The Music Room is a rather bland stew of roots-rock
clichés that rarely lifts itself above an imitation of its
obvious influences — Dylan, Lou Reed and Tom Petty, among others.
His voice is also remarkable like a young Dylan, which will prove
to further create the impression of a nascent Dylan wannabe.
Hod’s style is middle of the road, mid-tempo ballads. The rhythm
and tempo of each song is almost identical, and before half the
album was over I was yearning for a different beat, a different
tone, or anything to give some distinction of one song over the
next. Sadly, they all meld together into a plodding dirge.
Lyrically, the melancholy themes that populate this album left
me a little flat. The litany of broken dreams and broken hearts
runs unceasingly through this disc, without ever really touching
any nerves. If one chooses to wade around in the shallows of
depression, one must do so with certain degree of panache or risk
leaving the listener with feeling sulky and unfulfilled. If one
wishes to mope, one should do so in style a la The Cure or
Morrissey, where there was usually a thread of hopelessness and
bitter ennui that the lovesick, lifesick and generally forlorn
could relate to. Hod doesn’t imbue his compositions with enough
angst to reveal the bitterness. He weaves a thread of limp
depression into the lyrics which lacks any vitality or real pain.
Also missing is any sense of humor or irony. Hod’s words are pretty
run of the mill metaphors for the great emptiness he seems to want
to portray, but doesn’t have the knack of finding original ways of
expressing.
On a positive note, the production and the musicianship are both
quite good. Hod’s guitar work is good, and manages to lift up the
one energetic track “Indian Queens,” which is reminiscent of Mark
Knopfler’s mid-’80s work.
The world is full of sad songs and love songs. Way, way too many
of both in my opinion, and the ones that really touch anyone deeply
are a small minority of these overused genres. So, if you want to
create those kinds of songs, you need to reach a lot higher than
this to grab my attention.
