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Hodmeister - The Total Fabrication Of The Personification In The Nuance Of the Art Form (4 Track EP) Reviewed By Steve Rudd Now here's a Yorkshire-based talent to get genuinely excited about. Chris Hoddinott has been involved in the fine art of music-making for some years now, having shown off his guitar-playing prowess as a member of Beverley band 35 Stock. Since the band dissolved, Chris has moved up to Scarborough, where he's now producing a totally different style of music that owes much to his love for Lo-Fi. This EP is a fantastic appetite-whetting gem, with the opening track consisting of a deranged riot of overlapping voice samples reciting the EP's overblown title as a never-to-be-forgotten mantra. From the off, the material dives right into classic Lo-Fi territory, before Losing The Will hears Chris enter the fray with his husky voice. This track revolves around a spoken word, apocalyptic monologue; it's an unimaginably dark affair, complete with a rally of petrified screams that complement the backbeat and textured synths. The bizarrely entrancing snatches of music also give this number a most extraordinary edge. The last two tracks of this batch of four are even better. Somehow. First of all, Sea Life, See Life is a mini-masterpiece in which Chris muses upon 'quintessential Englishness,' his Tom Waits-esque monologue mentioning the act of eating full English breakfasts in cafes while it rains outside. Somehow, Chris makes it sound like the stuff of your worst nightmares. In no way is this track depressing though; to the contrary, it's an inspirational revelation. And just when you're wondering what Chris is destined to deliver next in terms of his music, Sea Life, See Life magically morphs into a truly beautiful ballad. From then on in, a craftily finger-picked acoustic guitar melody reigns over our first proper chance to hear what Chris sounds like when he's singing. Fortunately, it's been worth the wait, because his immediately striking and highly distinctive singing voice is deep and soulful. Like his well-explored ideas, it's emotionally mature for his age. Last but not least, Seven Trees is yet another cracking tune, providing a heart-rending climax to this EP. Again, a beautifully subtle acoustic-rooted melody delicately plays up against his singing, as he quite literally pours out his aching heart to anyone who'll listen. No one knows what's in store for us, he rails, the powerfully clashing magnificence of the understated musicianship and his affecting vocal performance reminiscent of vintage material by Salako, Merchandise, Fonda 500 and even Mogwai. Here comes the hurricane... I hate to see how things have changed, he goes on, proving without a shadow of a doubt that his is an emotion-charged voice that has to be heard. Indeed, both Sea Life, See Life and Seven Trees are rollercoasters of raw emotions from start to finish, buoyed up by hypnotic soundscapes and sheer heart and soul. And not only is The Total Fabrication Of The Personification InThe Nuance of The Art Form a work of art in respect of the music and innovative ideas within, because the actual artwork on the CD sleeve is something to savour, too. Conceived and produced by Anil Sandhal, it's the icing on the cake of what is a truly mesmerising outing from a supremely exhilarating and challenging talent to watch out for. For more info about Chris Hoddinott, aka Hodmeister, please visit www.myspace.com/hodmeistermusic or www.shithotrecords.co.uk/hodmeister . Contact hodmeistermusic@hotmail.co.uk