Fop was released on September 28th.
Former Mumps leader Kristian Hoffman returns with his latest solo album, the overstuffed, ambitious Fop. The name seems to be the guiding stylistic cue Hoffman took for this project. The music teems with flowery doo-dads – harpsichord, choruses, chimes and bells, orchestras – and finds Hoffman’s songwriting at its most erudite.
At 74 minutes, Hoffman has given himself enough room to try out every idea that he has. Sadly, not every idea is as interesting as Hoffman thinks it is and while the record is impressive in scope it never carries its weight gracefully. Call it Robert Pollard Syndrome: the inability to cut the wheat from the chaff.
The first track, “Something New is Born,” sets expectations for what is to follow. A dual-movement epic, Hoffman starts the album with his softly quavering alto singing and a tinkly piano accompaniment. The song fits this mold for the length of most regular compositions before turning a corner and widescreening the song into a climatic, classic-rock close.
A carnival-esque feeling runs through the entire record, partially because of the kaleidoscopic production and song styles and more so because Hoffman puts as much twirling special effects into his arrangements as he can. Imagine Rufus Wainwright deciding to play guitar like Brian May and you get a feeling for the rockers like “I Can’t Go There With You,” “Evil,” and choice cut “My Body It.”
Hoffman’s big guitar anthems are more interesting than his ballads. “Hey Little Jesus” merges a Black Keys-worthy riff with spiky strings, but”Cassandra” overstays its welcome and throws off Fop‘s pacing by placing another long song right after the mammoth opening track. Also, Hoffman’s voice occasionally doesn’t sound strong enough to carry off the pretty swells of “Blackpool Lights” or “Alignment.” However, the Prince-feeling dance rock track “Soothe Me” is very pleasurable and shows Hoffman’s songwriting has a few surprises to reveal.
Some songs are basically jokes, like “Imaginary Friend,” which is driven by a Nino Rota imitation keyboard line, or the practical show tune “Little Brother.” These are a mixed bag in terms of quality but definitely grab the listener’s attention across the wide sea of the CD.
There’s enough worthy music here to make it a recommendation, but Hoffman was aiming for the fences on this record and there’s just not enough going on to keep interest for such a long time. The bloated carriage of the record doesn’t make its bulk a necessity. There’s great guitar work all over and Hoffman hits on some inventive song ideas, but Fop needed an editor.
Final Grade: *** (out of five)
