Photo by Malte Wingen on Unsplash
By John Morris, Contributing Writer
As I grew up, I spent a lot of time discovering discographies of bands that I would find on YouTube. As a result, this led to me having a wide variety of artists and genres that I liked, but most of them had already done their best work.
I was even late to hop on the rap and hip-hop revolution sparked by albums like “Watch the Throne” and “good kid, m.A.A.d. city,” giving them both a proper listen years after they had already come out. They were great albums, but I heard stories of my friends hearing leaked tracks and binge listening on the days that they were dropped. I missed out on anticipation.
Then, Hobo Johnson blew up due to a contest entry for National Public Radio’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series. His single, “Peach Scone,” wasn’t a musical masterpiece by way of composition, but it was an introduction to an odd style of music which blended the styles of hip-hop artists, spoken word poets, and ‘indie’ bands.
With a bit of refinement, “Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers” could go on to make a good sounding album one day. While on tour, Johnson previewed new material, which hinted at another album.
Each single had me more and more excited, and I was finally experiencing the anticipation my friends had as they waited for Yeezy and Kendrick to literally change hip-hop. Hobo Johnson didn’t revolutionize anything, but he lived up to the hype.
“The Fall of Hobo Johnson,” released on Friday the 13th in September of 2019, proved that the artist was capable of the growth he needed. Comparing “Peach Scone,” and the entire “Rise of Hobo Johnson” album to “The Fall of Hobo Johnson” isn’t fair, because it isn’t even close.
While his first album had one or two earworms, they were mostly showcasing Johnson’s ability to experiment with the standard flow of a rapper, and it fell short in most other areas.
He couldn’t be the shouting, rambling poet-styled rapper he was before, at least, that’s what I thought. He proved me wrong. Johnson managed to make an album where he tested out experimental production and genre-crossing while cranking his personality up to a ten.
I was originally taken back by what I had thought was a much-needed departure from his style, but by the time I realized it was just as much “Hobo Johnson” as his other album, I was already finished with half of the album and enjoying every second of it. The album is full of great songs. It transitions from love songs about someone who was never quite good enough to pieces about the human condition.
“You & the Cockroach” tackles the hateful nature of man and how it interferes with purpose, “Subaru Crosstrek XV” sneaks in criticisms on those who fall too deeply into capitalism, and “I Just Want a Dog” is focused on the unrealistic expectations we have for our lives, and how it tortures us as we can’t help but want more.
It’s genius, and it was the last thing I expected from the same guy who was known for anti-love songs. During the entire album, he keeps people interested with humor by throwing playful jabs at world leaders in “You & the Cockroach” and offering an apology to Justin Bieber, which managed to be a thoughtful song about the culture around celebrities and how it must hurt a child forced into the lifestyle. It’s interesting, it’s thought-provoking, and it sounds good.
“The Fall of Hobo Johnson” will always have a place in my heart. It was the first album I waited for that lived up to all the expectations I wanted it to. Johnson and his team tried everything they could to market it, doing live versions of most of the songs and doing multiple music videos (even an alternate one to ‘Typical Story’) after the release.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t reach enough people. The 96% rating it has on Google isn’t too impressive considering it had four written reviews at the time of this writing.
Anthony Fantano, a popular music reviewer on YouTube, gave the album an eight out of ten, but people just weren’t interested in it. For reference, Fantano’s review of Kanye’s “Jesus Is King” had four times as many views as his review of “The Fall of Hobo Johnson,” and the review of Chance the Rapper’s “The Big” almost had six times as many.
While it may not be popular, the album is worth a listen. It’s only 38 minutes, and it’s 38 minutes that, at the bare minimum, won’t bore you. If you don’t want to give the entire album your time right away and need to be sold, the recommendation can vary based on your interest, but his singles prove good hooks to the album.
If you like rock and want an overall impressive track, “Typical Story,” the most popular song of the album, is a perfect introduction to just what Hobo Johnson, and “The Fall of Hobo Johnson” is: varied, interesting, and catchy.
