I once thought that my ideal existence would involve living in a coffee shop. A coffee shop that had Jennifer Aniston working behind the counter and her sole purpose would be to ensure that I got the daily caffeine intake that would stop my heart from stopping. Said coffee shop would, of course, need a soundtrack and, given my eclectic tastes, I would expect to find something like Liz Hogg and “Goodbye World Hello Something” playing continuously in the background.
Liz Hogg is, of course, quite handy with a guitar and her left of centre, while not actually offbeat, lyrical sensibilities would fit quite nicely into the coffee shop vibe that my fantasy would need and any stranger more familiar with the roboticized mainstream music scene would probably not even notice that their ears were being convinced of more than the need for another cappuccino. It’s a balance thing – much like the perfect roast – to make songs that sound quite conventional even if they rather more complex than you will find when you hear them again.
Liz Hogg demonstrates a most respectable degree of confidence with this album. She’s not too far from the mainstream yet she is still very much doing her own thing and that’s why she is playing on repeat in my coffee shop.
Best song: “Belly”
Verdict: Not quite different yet not quite the same.