Hooper
No
Monument (Snappy Little Numbers)
A lot of times, bands have a knack for never
quite making it to their sophomore albums. And that’s especially true for
musicians with full time jobs and families. Still, Hooper — unequivocal adults,
all three members — somehow found time to write, record, and release a
follow-up to its first, How to Become a
Ghost. The record, No Monument,
showcases the band’s proficiency for writing punkish rock songs full of hooks
and melody without venturing anywhere near the pop punk genre. It would be like
stacking Weezer’s debut record on top of a copy of American Steel’s Jagged Thoughts and then melting them
(assuming the resulting mess of vinyl would somehow maintain traits from each
group and still play on a record player; but I digress). Side A kicks off with
“Red Shift (and the Irish Goodbye),” a bittersweet ditty with singer/guitarist
Trevor McMorris singing, “The beat gets worse from all your hunting, when you
wear down the ground pursuing your prize. When you feel you have so much to
give, so you take, take, take.” The song “Unfinished Basements” takes a
musically catchy and lyrically biting point of view on revisiting roots. And
“Anyone Vs. the Harlem Globetrotters” — the only one fronted by bassist Mike
Taylor — is a tuneful, melodic number that’s one of the highlights of the
second side. No Monument expounds
upon the sonic capacity of Hooper’s first release as it captures its members at
the apex of their songwriting prowess.
For more information: Go here.
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