Hozier
Hozier
****
Careful contemplation.
“Eee’bod’ be talkin’ ’bout Hozier,” said my colleague as she gave me the CD to review. I can see why.
This self-titled album is a work of art.
You can’t go anywhere without hearing Take Me To Church being played on radio. It’s one of the most deeply sexy songs I’ve heard in a long time.
While the video focuses on gay prejudice in Russia, the song is essentially about the surrender to love and lust between people generally – he describes falling in love as a kind of death. It’s also about surrendering despite judgement. The fact that it can be so widely interpreted is testament to the intelligence of the song, musically and lyrically. That is what makes every other song so irresistible too – every instrument is mastered, every note carefully contemplated.
Hozier grew up on American blues and this influence is ubiquitous – even a blush of Bayou at times, particularly on tracks like It Will Come Back, and gospel on Angel of Small Death and The Codeine Scene – but his Irish upbringing also features, like on the beautiful duet In A Week with Karen Cowley – spine-chilling harmonies and Celtic tones. That the song is about murder or suicide is beside the point. It doesn’t matter. Hozier makes everything beautiful.
His lyrics are intentionally vague. There’s nothing worse than obvious lyrics, bar obvious chord progressions. And the subtlety in his stories makes me want to listen and listen and listen again. Such smart songwriting, combined with excellent musicality and rich vocals, makes this album, and hopefully all his albums to come, a masterpiece.
And that is why eee’bod’ be talkin’ ’bout Hozier. – Andrea Bryce