Hodgy - Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide

Hodgy
Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide
2017
Spotify

Hodgy, the Odd Future Co-Founder, seems like He has been in the hip hop scene for awhile because well, He has. His first release was back in 2009, but this is his first proper album almost eight years later. Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide is a lot like much of what Odd Future seems to do, music that makes you say "What?". The same can be said for Tyler the Creator, every now and again they will bring something incredible, direct and fascinating yet other times they act so strange that even the diehards can't follow along. Is Hodgy the hard rapping lyricist He is during the verses of "Resurrection" or is he the light singer He is during the Chorus? "Kundalini" feels very in line with the Odd Future vibe, but Hodgy doesn't stick with it, either for better or for worse. On "They Want" Hodgy almost sounds like Action Bronson, both in delivery and beat selection leaving you to really wonder if He has a style that really is his own. This also could be a symptom of trying to many things to make your first album soar. Rather than really honing your vision for the record Hodgy sort of samples from everywhere hoping something will eventually stick. He can occasionally land a nice punchline, but by that time you are so bored that what is really the point? Even the inclusion of Busta Rhymes can't save "Final Hour" and gives one of his weaker performances.

It almost seems like Hodgy is so varied in his influences that He cannot pick any one thing to focus on and his music suffers because of it. "Glory" seems to be the best version we get of Hodgy and almost one of the most vocally dense songs on the record. It is too little too late, The album really lacks that satisfying track where you can really give Hodgy the thumbs up and bang your head along, it's mildly alright throughout. "Laguna" however is actually just a pretty bad song, and never makes any kind of sense. Even within the song things are so messy that you never reach a point or an idea worth any kind of discussion. "Turkuoise" is pretty fun and stands out as one of the better tracks on the album, but it's not enough to make a playlist let alone really let the album standout. What Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide really shows is what happens when an album is unfocused, and how quickly quirky can turn to annoying or boring. Hodgy has been around for awhile, and likely will outlast this record, but this one is a big miss.

4.3 out of 10