Hardy Fox — Hardy Fox
Since 2012, Fox had been sporadically been releasing solo albums under the pseudonym of Charles Bobuck. Then in 2015 when he decided to leave both The Residents, and their management team the Cryptic Corporation- the drip of releases became more of a steady flow- releasing in total 13 albums, a good selection of smaller releases, and a few compilations. His work under the Bobuck banner started off as purely instrumental- really mimicking the off-kilter blend of genres The Resident’s where known for. But as the projects progressed he very much forged his own sonic identity, and this was fully cemented when in the last year or so he adding in his distinctly frail & wavering vocals to the mix.
The last Bobuck album was last years Nineteen-Sixty-Seven, which saw a selection bizarre & total unrecognizable cover version of pop/ rock songs from the year 1967.
This album saw Fox offering up a genre varied selection of tracks- that went from creepy, to funny, to felt, to down right unsettling- the release landed up been one of my highlights of last year.
Sonically the new album is more pared-back- in both its genres & instrumental use, focusing in on a blend of electronica, synth pop, and sparse pop in general. Lyrical it’s certainly a lot more personal & emotional than any of the work he did either under the Bob Bobuck name or with The Residents. Sure there are still flicks of dark humor & cryptic elements present, but for the most part, it’s surprisingly open & emotional record- talking about relationships, love, sexuality, and old age.
The album takes in fourteen tracks, with most of these falling between the two & three-minute mark. And though the sound through-out is fairly narrow, there is a fair amount variation in the pace/ type of songs. We move from the wavering warm-to slowly pulsing techno hits of "A Song For You". Onto the harmonic synth pop choppiness meets synth string simmer of "Broken Heart". Through the dark & moody 1980’s soundtrack like synth weaves & throbbing bass of “Leg”. Onto slurred blipping-blopping synth pop & vocoder vocals of "Name". Ending with the bright ethnic- techno meets ambient synth vistas of "Yogurt".
The main sonic make-up of pretty much all of the tracks is a mix of synths, electronic production, and Hardy’s voice. From time-to-time, there are a few subtle guitar elements- but for the most part, this is very much synth/ voice-based album.
If you’ve heard any of the past Bobuck albums with vocals, you pretty much know what expect here. Hardy’s vocals are more talky & occasional sing-songy, and his tone is wavering & weary- feeling more so on this release, and I'm guess this is enhanced by the more personal lyrical subjects.
Through-out the Hardy Fox album there’s a real feeling of often frank & bare emotion present, and at times it feels both too awkward & personal. But in a way that is part of the album's power & pull. If you going into this expecting anything remotely Resident’s like, save for the pervading feeling of off-kilter-ness, you’ll come away disappointed. But if you go into this expecting an often honest & heartfelt collection of electronic music with unbalanced & quirky pop leanings, you’ll find much to cherish here.