Everybody has that one band that they think are the greatest, but it seems as if no one has ever heard them. So every single time you get the chance to show them the band, you do it, and they end up feeling exactly the same. For a lot of people, that band is Hog.
Hog released only one album, then got dropped from Geffen. Sales were low, very little radio airplay, and just like that, Hog disappeared forever. Hog got a hold of one moment in pop culture, that is that their song "Get a Job", was in the film Black Sheep. A song that was very personal to frontman Kirk Miller himself. Nowadays Kirk Miller, ( Now referred to as Leroy ) is quite the guitarist, and is in many blues bands, and seems to have left punk rock behind, but let's not forget about Hog, and this great 90's punk record.
The guitars on this album sure know how to make a statement, with solo's from "Shut Down" and "Walls". Kirk's vocals are always at 100% with a raspy punk sound to them. Drums never fall to an understatement with tracks like "Don't Know Why" and "Not Perfect". The album always keeps a consistent vibe showing punk songs with great melody, and you can totally feel the raw energy this album has. The lyrics are witty and actually quite funny at times, "Get a Job", "Junk". The album changes direction at the end, with a more of a country song love song. Songs like "Shut Down" and "Walls" have lyrics that anyone can relate to, about the struggles of living life and dealing with the people around you.
Just listening to this album can bring back that 90's time, where everything seemed so fresh and full of ideas. Not to mention, the cover art is some of the wackiest stuff out there. So if Hog was so good, then why did they give up? Why didn't they just sign to an indie label? Well, these are some great questions.
"Aching" carries a similar aspect, and contains one of the greatest lines of all time, "Your'e best friends name was Freddy, since he's come out he goes by Betty, yes she does!". In whole, this album serves as that Gem you find buried for years, you dust it off, and you can appreciate all that it has to offer. This album serves as that album you listen to when all else fails. When your'e mad at the world, when you just wan't to completely just forget about your'e problems and completely go nuts. Song that go against what's right, pretty much saying no to authority, "Not Perfect", but most of all, it gives you a sudden remembrance of teenage youth filled with wild angst, something that a lot of albums nowadays are completely lacking. This band might be gone, but that definitely doesn't mean they won't come back. I mean, a Hog reunion tour sounds pretty amazing, and they sure are in need for one.