Ho-Ag

Pitchfork: "Let the keyboards lob you a life preserver while the band spits and seizes around it, and allow momentum-- something The Word From Pluto has in spades-- take you through to "Pinhead", the track that brandishes a 10-ton hook and rocks as hard as any 1970s arena act, except the drummer needs to be sober to pull off the ragged rhythms of the chorus . . . Ho-Ag's latest, The Word From Pluto, has plenty of hip touchstones in their blizzard of sound . . . but played with bravery, balance, and smarts, carrying with it the feel of basement shows rather than arty detachment."



The All-Music Guide: "Boston's Ho-Ag turns in its most varied effort with its third full-length CD, Doctor Cowboy. The band's core sound is still rooted in the punk, new wave, and metal sounds of the '70s and early '80s, but increasing musical sophistication leads to more involved arrangements, with slower tempos on occasion and more of an emphasis on the imagistic lyrics. New members Kristina Johnson on guitar and Ryan Brown on bass add considerably to the group's chops, with Johnson even pitching in on vocals on "Drawing the Boundaries of the Night" and Brown not only anchoring the sound but also acting as the lead instrumentalist on occasion. Tyler Derryberry continues to add spacey electronic effects, and the band retains an affection for science fiction soundtrack elements. It's all in support of leader Matt Parish, whose voice cuts through no matter what music surrounds it, and even when the vocals have been filtered and processed for an alien effect. There's still plenty of speedy hard rock on Doctor Cowboy, but Ho-Ag is evolving into a more mature outfit here."
Weekly Dig: "From the first fall-down-the-curvy-back-stairwell notes of "Paint the Navy" to the massive discordant coronary that puts "The Hoodoo Sea" to sleep, Ho-Ag's second full-length is a bold step (or hard stumble) forward from, well, just about everything."



Smother Magazine: "This band plays for keeper's, simultaneously insisting on being your best friend while ready to calculate how quickly they can destroy your idea of what free-form music is all about. Get this album, right the fuck now."



Skratch Magazine: "The second full-length release from this Boston MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3K quintet is one of the most beautiful and original albums ever."



Boston Phoenix: "[Paint the Navy] congeals around circusy keybs and hairpin stunt guitars while frontguy Matt Parish hot-thrashes his way through dissident Wikipedia entries from the ends of time."
Ho-Ag



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