Album Notes

On his newest, and self-touted “first official” release entitled Drugs Farm, The Hideous North has drawn from songs he’s composed over the last ten years, re-recorded them, and presented them to his audience with new gloss and shine, outstanding production and newfound energy.

North is a powerhouse of lyrical genius and the prog rock oddness of his compositions are never just weird for the sake of being so. The bizarre “slightly off" feel to his music separates him from his peers more by default than by intention. There are no simple messages here, no single layered statements and no direct delivery. The Hideous North preaches from a podium below the floorboards, where his audience must cock an ear and listen carefully to capture the subtle suggestion of his poetry. The “sunken ship” calmness in the expression of both music and lyrics is especially haunting here, and where North’s penchant for deadpan, emotionless vocalization might once have been a criticism, its been made a perfected skill on this collection.

Some of the more standout tracks on the album are the twistedly quirky “Monkey” - about mankind’s amusement by his ability to make less intelligent creatures mimic his behavior, and poses the question of whether or not by doing so we’re only parodying ourselves. Which one of us, really - man or monkey - is the most enslaved? “Let’s Bring This Boat To Shore” with its desolate vocals and chopping walls of distorted guitar behind the chorus tells a story of a man’s reflection on his once beautiful, but now doomed relationship using the metaphor of a boat lost at sea. It’s a song that has appeared on at least three prior Hideous North demos, but is finally done justice here. The socialistic fantasy of “The End of the Machine” - which North states was inspired by a sculpture of the same name that his father made in grade school art class, composed of a ball of tangled up springs nailed to a marble slab - is a shining example of North’s lyrical skill. The entire track is tactfully worded, until at the build of the song’s crescendo North sings: “There’d be no making love, but there’d be fucking, cause that’s all anybody really wants anyway...” - a line that discards all poetic pretense and almost makes the listener reel back in shock at the song’s sudden crassness. Also well-done is “Cornfield”, the one song on the album with a female vocal, a cover of the His Name Is Alive classic.

Drugs Farm, as an album, is the sound of an artist finally hitting his stride. Anyone previously familiar and who may not have been impressed with The Hideous North, would be remiss not to allow themselves a second listen with this release. This is a new beginning, and a new direction, without losing sight of the unique approach that may have made him an only mildly interesting “work in progress” before.