Album Review: Patterson Hood

(My entire interview with Patterson Hood will be posted soon)

Patterson Hood
Murdering Oscar (and other love songs)
[Ruth St. Records]

Patterson Hood is seems to be tortured by both middle-age and angst. These two forces play off of themselves brilliantly Murdering Oscar. The writing of which spanned 15+ years of Hood's life. Half the album was written by recently divorced Hood who was living in a strange town, with no friends, and in his late 20's. The other half of the album are new songs written by an older, wiser Hood who is happily remarried with bouncing baby girl. The palpable friction between the two Hood feels like he could break out into a bar room brawl with himself at any time.
The best thing about Hood, is the fact that in his early 40's he has nothing more to prove. But he writes, records, and tours like he still has everything to prove to everyone. It's that hunger that drives this record into your subconscious mind. Every song rings familiar like an old song from The Band or Gram Parsons or Sam Cooke, without being derivative of any of those guys.
The young and rambunctious Hood sets a dense foundation on which the the older, reflective Hood can build. With songs like "Murdering Oscar" about a man unrepentant for the death of the aforementioned Oscar - is thick dense material, if not intentionally vague. And he doesn't sugar coat the narrator's lack of sympathy with turn of regret at the end either. "I don't need salvation cause I saved myself/I killed Oscar and I forgave me". And a song like "Screwtopia" shows a young man ambivalence and rejection of the projected suburban life style that is thrust in conjunction with the American dream. While "Heavy and Hanging" is the reactionary tale of someone who discovers the body after a suicide (Hood recently said this song was inpired by the death of Kurt Cobain). But these are the kind of dark topics we have grown to expect and love out of Hood.
However, It's the older, more sincere Hood that really shines on Murdering Oscar. "Grandaddy" is a love song to his daughter, it's almost a whimsical lullaby where he promises to be a good father to her, by promising to be the stereotypically lovable grandfather to her unborn children. "I Understand Now" is an unmistakably great song, that hardly needs a description to follow. And "Pride of the Yankees" might possibly be one of the most relevant and beautiful songs Hood has ever written. It's a song with no chorus or refrain but has the most infectious melody that you hardly even seem to notice. Ultimately it's a post 9/11 love song that laments the loss of innocence our nation has endured the led into the uncertain times we still wrestle with. For anyone that lived through that horrible day, it would be almost impossible not to get a little choked up by the time the song is over.
Hood is still not the star that he should be. Hood still doesn't get reverence he deserves as a songsmith. But he continues to put out quality work that proves people should be paying more attention, however, the fact that they aren't kinda makes him our own cool little secret.