If you’re into poetry, good melodies, and odd subjects, (and you can handle a bit of yelling,) boy do I have an album for you! The Fall of Hobo Johnson takes care of all the H’s we expect from Frank Lopez and his Lovemakers: the album is honest, heartbreaking, and hilarious.
This Sacramento native is putting a dent in pop music with his cultivation of what is being referred to as folk-rap. Frank obtained the epithet “Hobo Johnson” after being kicked out of his parents’ house and into his ‘94 Corolla to live. He spent some time working at a bowling alley, and I’m not sure if the shoes were too slippery or the food was too greasy, but it just wasn’t for him. He went back to his car every night to write poetry, which he eventually turned into songs.
In this third album he’s released, Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers really found their sound; which is not a consistent one at all- but according to Frank, that was the whole point. He wanted each song to sound completely different from the last. Mission accomplished.
If this is your first time listening to Hobo Johnson, I beg you to please persevere past the introductory song, “Typical Story.” Although a great Beastie Boys comparison track and a beautifully poetic three-minutes of straight up punk, it could be a pretty confusing first impression. I would advise you to put on your My Chemical Romance tee and soak up every second of this opening to an incredible album.
“Mover Awayer” and “Ugly Kid” sound like the Hobo Johnson we all know and love from “The Rise of Hobo Johnson” his second album released in 2017. These tracks rawly show the typical Hobo-struggling-to-positivity sound that he makes work so well. His lyrics are simple, to the point where I sometimes ask myself how no one has written them already. In “Mover Awayer” the chorus begins with the line, “You make my Monday’s feel like Fridays…” How lovely is that! Quite a contrast to the following track, “Ugly Kid,” where he sings, “I’m an ugly kid, ugly enough to just want to just quit...and you’re like a summer sunset in Stockholm, I’m like being stuck in fuckin Bakersfield and walking home.” This one features Elohim, who’s soft spoken sound adds something sweet and unexpected to this terribly truthful tune.
“You & the Cockroach” could alternatively be called “An Unfortunate History of the World Up to 2020.” This satire tune shines a light on the full circle we are all uncontrollably spinning in, like hamsters in a wheel too large for their tiny strides. Hobo talks about religion, government, and violence in an overly-simplistic way, and it’s funny, of course, because that’s just Hobo.
“Subaru Crosstrek XV” is a refreshing break from all of the heavier tracks on the album- the song is literally about Frank buying a Subaru Crosstrek. He would have bought a Lambo, but that song probably wouldn’t have turned out as good. This is a stand-out-track if you like a good beat. And if you don’t like a good beat, no offense but get the hell out of my music blog.
“Happiness” hits home, perhaps because it’s aimed at Frank’s ex-girlfriend/writer, and I’m also trying my best to write, but more likely because we’re all just trying to do something useful and impactful. Turns out it’s more difficult than we all thought.
My one complaint about the album is with the song “Sorry, My Dear.” The distortion on his voice drowns out his deep thoughts and distracts from the musical climax in the beautifully melodic chorus.
This album proves Hobo Johnson’s well-rounded style when it comes to music, producing sounds far away from the normal rising pop we’re used to. I have high hopes for Hobo Johnson for this reason, and encourage all of you to try and soak up all of the tangible human feelings that he puts forward in his latest album, “The Fall of Hobo Johnson.”