Part prog-punk, part art-noise, and part synthesized mayhem, Ho-Ag’s The Word from Pluto is a confluence of sound both dynamic and obnoxious. From technically proficient riffs to interspersed, head-banging rock and underused space-punk, much of the Ho-Ag modus operandi is laudable.
But The Word from Pluto is teeming with ineffectual, whiny vocals and stagnant interruptions of the noteworthy material. The fourteen songs would be wildly more effective if the vocal tracks were completely gutted in favor of a few yelps, screams, and shrieks. Instead of forming vocals to fit the oft-busy intertwining of instruments, cramped, off-key, and sometimes spoken-word vocals are placed ad infinitum in inappropriate places.
To their credit, the five members of Ho-Ag (seemingly inspired equally by bands like The Mae Shi, The Locust, and Devo) concoct a shape-shifting, intergalactic journey on which the listener may depart. Weird? Yeah, but it’s effectively weird.
The Word from Pluto is one of those albums that you feel like hearing every few months just to get out of your system. And that’s a shame, because this band has the potential to do much more.
– Scott Morrow
Ho-Ag (Hello, Sir Records)