Music Muse: Dot Hacker NO°3, Catapults as Caesarean Section

Los Angeles Experimental Rock band, Dot Hacker’s NO°3 was officially released on January 20^th 2017, on the 58^th Presidential Inauguration Day of United States of America, on the grey snowy moment that my international flight departure at snowy bleak Helsinki.

With steady drum beats and misty guitar chords that transit a mysterious and obscure voice of lead singer Josh Klinghoffer, whose singing vocal is various from his doing the interviews, a much more of the similarity of Daniel Jones from Silverchair. On January 4^th 2017, via ORG Music, Dot Hacker shared the opening track ‘C Section’, which the title, literally, from an abbreviation of Caesarean Section. The lyrics indicates from the point of view of the newborn child, to gaze the world:

Come and get me

The ripping open of me

Catapult me crying

While the broken rhythm of prologue proceeds to the Crescendo middle bridge, ‘C Section’, in spite of the original meaning that the surgical technique may bring the new life, does not allow either Fresco or Largemoso invade, but containing of a mysterious Dolente mood. With trills of guitar on minor key adding up Klinghoffer’s obscure chanting, the ending of ‘C Section’, quite surprisingly, with only 5-seconds drag, the final tenuto minimalizes in a rather faster clean-cut way.

Formed in 2008, Dot Hacker consists of lead singer Josh Klinghoffer (guitar, keyboards), guitarist Clint Walsh (keyboards, backing vocals), bassist Jonathan Hischke and drummer Eric Gardner. Prior to Klinghoffer joining the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dot Hacker released its debut album, Inhibition, in May 2012. While the fan forum lacks of further fun facts from the band members, perhaps, only between the lyrics that enthusiasts can pry some parts of their inner thoughts, in nearly a way of confession. The single ‘Order/Disorder’ from Inhibition, the drum beats are strongly Strepitoso, and Klinghoffer’s voice is not so amoroso as in NO°3, but carries a feel of a confused soul in an iron cage:

I wanna control it all now

But lately I cannot

I want to control myself now

I need a famous last word

In 2017, on their third studio album, NO°3, in total 46 minutes, a serenade like ‘Beseech’ has again the very broken rhythm but lovely beautiful prelude, a feel of North California coastline, the waves pave the seashore, by a campfire and the chilly wind sings occasionally. While ‘Cassandra’ owns the most emotionally elegant piano melody, the touches of airy chords take us travel toward a bit northern part of Seattle mangrove forest, a misty, rainy, foggy cold sandy beach, a forbidden love is in the air. ‘Cassandra’ is very much, to me, more of a love song that tells the tale about mortal and vampire under the twilight:

So timber’s yelled when a tree falls

What can I scream for my heart

Misled poison smoke signals

Err on the side of caution when you breathe

Chiefly with the member of Chili Peppers, Josh Klinghoffer, in comparison to Walsh, Hischke and Gardner, is carrying more his personalities on stage. Still, he remains an enigma, or an euphemism to mass public. Still, if we pay attention to the lyrics of Dot Hacker’s albums, and the oil painting of art cover by Josh Klinghoffer, or, his statement toward the certain topic, we can realize that this multi-instrumentalist has rather fiercely dynamic points of view:

‘For a number of strange, obnoxious and uncontrollable reasons, N°3 is coming out on January 20th, 2017. My initial notion was to write something about how on what may prove to be one of the darkest days in recent memory, here’s a little whiney music with mostly unintelligible singing, but which is steeped in hope, for you to enjoy. I know, for obvious reasons, of the aforementioned hope. Then I thought not to play upon the negativity of the day, or mention it all…then I nearly didn’t write anything.

Basically, for whatever it’s worth, here’s a little more music to throw onto the ever growing pile in the hopes of bringing even a littlest bit of peace, joy, and contentment to the hearts of even one person in these strange, obnoxious and uncontrollable times.’ 

The articulation is remotely vague, the printing quality of CD cover is merely a handmade level, the lyric booklet is appreciated if there is any; nevertheless, NO°3 with exquisite composition, Gardener’s profound drum beats and Klinghoffer’s distant yet abstruse vocal, Dot Hacker’s third album is perfect for solo ride under twilight, on Los Angeles Mulholland Drive.

P.S As my very first trial of album review, for the photography of NO°3, the three dehydrated Valentine’s roses and falling pedals symbolize the melancholic music theme, while Marc Jacobs Daisy 20ml perfume bottle represents its live and sweet voice of Josh, and finally Chanel rouge lipstick adds up a slightly feminine touch from the inspiration of floral album cover.

DOT HACKER 

ORG MUSIC