Liz Hogg is a Brooklyn, NY-based guitarist who divides her expertise between classical guitar and electric rock stylings. On the rock side of the spectrum, she’s bent the strings in numerous bands, including Fables, UFOs, and Beach Arabs, and with Aagoo Records’ November 12 release of Goodbye World Hello Something, she’s completed her second solo album, available on LP and digital. While Hogg is a highly skilled instrumentalist, the 10-song set is less about flash and more focused on solid, often downright catchy songwriting.
Liz Hogg’s prowess on guitar shouldn’t be understated, but just as impressive is her adaptability, which ranges from her excellence as a classical guitarist as documented on the 2019 CD Presenting Liz Hogg: Music by Mignone/ Villa-Lobos /Krenek/ Darr/ Bach/ Matiegka, to the ’80s underground rock power trio energy of Beach Arabs’ 2013 cassette Wild Movement, to the pricklier exploratory solo rock-aligned environments of her self-titled 2018 LP.
And now here’s Goodbye World Hello Something, a larger-scale solo affair that’s infused with pop hooks while continuing to emphasize Hogg’s abilities as a guitarist. Opener “Things I Said Before” is the album’s biggest slice of melodic maneuvering, combining tropical ambiance with a bold guitar groove to arrive in the vicinity of ’80s Downtown NYC.
“Wonder When” picks up the tempo and dishes a hook reminiscent of The Cars, although Hogg’s singing and the tightly wound intensity of her playing ultimately pushes the song into a distinctive direction. “On Paper” is more laid back and layered, with a few gorgeous crescendos along the way, and then “Belly” revs matters back up with a hint of power pop and a few angular touches that can bring Mary Timony to mind.
The drums of Daniel Siles carry “Goodbye World Hello Something,” closer to a band sensibility, but with a near–constant focus on melody that reinforces the influence of McCartney and Lennon on the album’s overall thrust. With this said, “Master & Commander” deepens the record’s ’90s gal rock angle, getting much closer to Matador Records indie but not without a smidge of the Lilith Fair.
“Irreversible” simultaneously showcases Hogg’s songwriting, her instrumental textures, and the fragile sass of her singing voice, all elements that “Curl” extends while increasing the atmosphere of classic FM radio pop-rock, and without ever falling into the deliberate throwback zone. “Round the Corner” is bouncier and speedier, and “Instructions for the Physical World” wraps back around to the indie ’90s.
Goodbye World Hello Something’s finale “One Thread” is explicitly impacted by McCartney’s work in Wings, and in particular “Silly Love Songs.” It’s a stylistic relationship that’s subtly absorbed rather than deliberately foregrounded. This bit of gracefulness in construction is emblematic of Hogg’s overall success across the LP.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
