Paul Hogan
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Paul Hogan

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Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Splendid review"

"Every so often, we come across an album that reminds us of precisely why we make the effort. This is why we review every CD we receive: for the chance to stumble upon inspiration in the form of random CDs...for the chance to stumble upon an album like Frances.

The record begins with a love song set to tinkly, off-key toy piano. It's an unusual approach -- and one that could have gone terribly, pretentiously wrong -- but Hogan pulls off novelty with ease. His aching everyman vocals are the perfect counterpoint to his experimental methods, transforming musical tomfoolery into a lovely ballad for the album's namesake. From there, Frances seems to take off in eight different directions, one for each of the remaining tracks. There's the acoustic, chantey-styled "Sale", the mystic sparsity of "Fingers" and the accordion spookiness of "It". Remarkably enough, such variety never makes the album feel slipshod. Borne from the ripe musical imagination of one obviously multi-talented musician, Frances is an enchanting creation from start to finish. In other words, Hogan may be a New York City no-name, but he'd be right at home among the best of today's indie quirks.

...Which brings us back to the point of this whole Splendid thing, and some well-deserved props to Hogan for reminding us how true the motto: you never know where your next favorite album will come from. After all, isn't that why you're reading this, dear unfailing music enthusiast? Why else than to find out about artists like the undeservedly obscure Hogan?" - Splendid EZine (RIP)


"Time Out NY"

"FRANCES is the name of the band led by Paul Hogan, who has a winning way of penning straight-up pop tunes and then orchestrating them (in a spare fashion) for seven players, who in turn render the songs on a spate of instruments." - Time Out NY


"Music For Robots"

"A great little record, with cool textures and atmospheres. These songs fit in with the dark fall nights, and the calendar slipping away from you." - Music For Robots


"Said The Gramophone"

"Ironically referencing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in its opening bars, "It" is a song of frustration & helplessness. The low wheezing of the accordion, forced out in long drones lagging just behind the melody, is a nice reflection of the artist's frustrated attempts at communication." - Said The Gramophone


"City Beat Cincinnati review"

"Hogan is in town to show off some of the songs from his superb new solo album, Frances, a sprawling yet intimate album of ear-grabbing Indie Pop songs augmented by a music-school-closet's worth of instruments, traditional or otherwise." - City Beat Cincinnati review


Discography

"Frances" LP (self-released, 2004)

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Two years ago, Paul Hogan released a solo album called Frances, a real do-it-yourself endeavor. He camped out in a small studio for a few months with a trunk full of instruments - toy piano, kalimba, piano, guitar, accordion, Pakistani banjo and percussion - and hashed out his first full set of solo songs. These tunes are imbued with a variety of influences, from his Tennessean folk birthright to gamelan adventures in Indonesia, his degrees in classical composition to experimental electronic sound installations. But at the core of it all is the fact that Paul is one bear of a songwriter with an uncanny knack for melody and clever orchestrations.