Why do my daughter's friends all love Hozier? "unreal unearth" review 

Take Me to Church plays off the sanctity of songs and hymns like Otis Redding’s Amen. It’s not a dig at the faith or devotion, but at the vileness in denying someone the right to live as they are, to love who they love, all in the name of faith. To the narrator in that song, his love is as sacred as the devotion of the holy to their god, yet they would tear away that person’s love. (I’m terribly sorry to say, but if you ever want to listen, take a look at Moment’s Silence which he wrote in a tongue-in-cheek way to push against conservative views on power and *something that also stars with s in a very impolite way “what yields the need for those who lead us oh so morally, those that would view the same we do through their deformity, who view the deed as power’s creed as pure authority, this moment’s silence when my baby puts their mouth on me”, it makes you uncomfortable and it gets you thinking, but not everyone grew up with the Catholic Church as part of the government, or the LDS church forcing these awful circumstances on your family members, or preachers telling them they would go to hell for loving someone of the same gender and then turning around and having an affair with their secretary.) I don’t want this comment to come off as mean, but I care about deeply about this subject matter. You gave a very fair review, but I also think you were missing some context, which is also fair. I loved Take Me to Church when it came on the radio because it wasn’t empty and so many people played it thinking it meant something else which was hilarious 😂 but then I tuned it out because I heard it so much. Then I heard Shrike years later and realized he’s a brilliant guitarist, then I heard Almost(Sweet Music) where he tried to write a song with lyrics entirely made up of the titles of Jazz songs he grew up listening to that was also a reflection on music’s affect on memory, which showed that he respects and loves the artists and music that made him, I heard Nina Cried Power and Cherry Wine and that cemented my love of his music. He’s not perfect but he cares I’m so sorry about your dad, and it is very clear that this is a subject matter that is very close to your heart, you’re not wrong that the narrators are flawed. He said in a few interviews that wanted to write as narrators that are as such. And that’s kind of funny that media like Francesca could cause people to end up in that hurricane, but I feel as though there’s another layer to it and some creative liberty. I also agree on the soul sections, but it wasn’t malicious, also, sorry that you got negative comments on that subreddit If you’re willing, could you take a look at Cherry Wine and Nina Cried Power? And let us (or tell me) what you think of Take Me To Church through another lens? He’s written words as well as he can and him and fans alike are aware that humans’ thoughts, words, and actions can only go so far, but he sings about those that go farther than most, some things fall flat, a few songs on this album fell flat, but I still vibe with them and ideas that went into them. I think he had a whole album’s worth of songs that he’s just not releasing because he doesn’t feel they apply to the way covid affected the world, he feels they’re not right anymore. He said there’s part of him that’s “absolutely alergic to the idea of writing a “”Covid Album””,” but that it’s impossible to not bring in elements of everything it caused. It being his third album, it was the first that he collaborated with any musicians outside of his band on, he wrote his first two albums mostly alone with exception of some close friends, but is also really only skilled on guitar and recognized that there are people who could help elevate it. He was also really wanting to connect with more people after the pandemic, but described an anxiety in relinquishing that control and wanting to still convey exactly what he meant Thank you if you read all this, I’m curious on your thoughts, you described not knowing how people viewed him and really if you hear all his music all at once you don’t really, but most people I’ve talked to who like him fell in love with one song, and have had so much time to absorb the rest, even if I don’t care much for a handful, I don’t fell there’s harm in exploring and honestly a few things he’s done are so specific in an amazing but uncanny way(like evoking a bog just by the instrumentals, in “Like Real People Do”, or a fever dream like in “In the Woods Somewhere” not necessarily easy listening, but damn cool. All the lyrics are his own writing and I find him respectable(I don’t mean to me mean about Noah Kahan, but while it’s similar folk style I just don’t care much about songs about drunk calling people - but in saying that I’m sure that I could look into his discography and find more substance, just as I guess many could with Hozier’s) Also, on that note, Work Song is so beautiful. AVAA Again, thank you so much if you read all of this, I’d love to hear your thoughts

I think the lesbian thing is more like the way gay men love Charli xcx; it's less of, he's so much more emotional than other men, and more of, he understands me so well and I understand him

I imagine that this is what it feels like to read an essay by a good student who just doesn't quite understand one key thing about the topic. One of the central themes of the Third Policeman is the recursive relationship between the way individuals understand and in some sense create themselves in light of their place in society; and the way a society is created by individuals. Hozier is questioning that history of blaming people and ideas while ignoring the underlying power structures that create violence. (Francesca is written from the perspective of Francesca.) Her life was torture before hell.

Gosh you are really missing the point of Francesca's pov here where she insists that she doesn't regret or atone for what she did because she felt justified by their love. They were not Romeo and Juliet swept off their feet teenage lovers, maybe Francesca was pretty young when they started but canonically the affair lasted 10 years. The point is it wasn't just lust and to be punished so for their love really doesn't look great on God and the heaven that he promises. And even with knowing the kind of punishment set up, the steadfast and stubborn love & determination. It's always in our best interest after maybe reading mythology, "the cannon" then ground it in it's milieu to have your opinions on it based on how you could engage with it in the now. Whether that be agreeing or disagreeing or somewhere in between. Maybe don't dwell too much on thinking he's a Chad who thinks he's a genius or if you are indeed one and just focus on the humanity of what was said.

Thank you for the review! I'm actually pretty surprised you didn’t give enough credit to Take Me to Church since this Hozier's hit is dedicated to abuse in church and LGBTQ+ discrimination by religious institutions. "We were born sick, we heard them say it / My church offers no absolutes, she tells me worship in a bedroom" or "There’s no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin". So it's not a shallow christian rock ballade as it may seem at the first listen. And the use of "Amen" is pretty much on point here. It may not be a genius song, but it's a really significant piece of art as the statement against bigotry, prejudice, violence. There's an official clip on this song that shows its true essence. Anyway, I hope that helps to better understand the reason it blew up and why it's not just some middle of the road pop song

Although I appreciate your perspective, im not the biggest fan of this review. I understand the comparison to Bill Withers bc their voices are just so similar but "faux-soul"? Hozier genre-bends several AA originated genres (gospel, soul, rock, and blues) as well as other genres with so much respect towards his predecessors. Its a diservice to call anything like Nina Cried Power or Jackie and Wilson (examples from his earlier albums) inauthentic just bc hes a wyt man singing it. He's no Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley or Justin Timberlake. Hes not appropriating black music, hes appreciating and enriching it

HEY, northern ireland isn't part of great britain! you better not start your car tomorrow morning... AVAA

Calling Hozier middle of the road, it’s like calling a chef’s prepared meal a 5 dollar hot dog. That’s the worst thing I’ve seen on the internet for a while.

About Francesca... I just don't see why you interpret this song as proof of Hozier imposing his modern views on the text. Writing something inspired by a work of fiction expressing a difference of opinion from the author or narrator of the original work in no way means that you didn't understand what the author was doing, simply that you disagree with the author. And so you may take things from their story and portray them in a different way. More than that: I feel obligated to note that writing a song from someone's perspective is definitely NOT the same thing as saying you agree with their actions or opinions. He's writing from Francesca's perspective in the first person. Not from his own perspective, or even Dante's perspective. Personally, I don't see very much commentary being expressed in the song. It's, as far as I can tell, pretty much a straightforward depiction of the couple from the story. Of course, this is ultimately an album about the arc of Hozier's relationship with someone, so maybe there's something about that relationship that he feels is connected to the relationship he experienced. And you say that Francesca's story being like a great romantic story of "doing anything for love" is not the point, but that's just how it was characterized in the story. In the overall narrative of the Divine Comedy, this is not portrayed as a good thing, but this is how Francesca thinks and feels about herself and her actions, and since the song is from her perspective, speaking to her affair partner... Regarding the bit about her saying she'd do it again, all of the sinners in Inferno are in eternal agony, but don't remember any instance of them expressing regret for their actions, so this seems pretty in line with canon, to me. It seems reasonable to me that the sinners would, after enough torture, regret their choices, but in the context of the story, none of them seem to. And looking at it theologically, it would make a certain amount of sense for Dante to assert that none of the sinners would ever regret their sins, no matter how much punishment they suffered, although I'm not sure it's in line with the actual scriptures. About "All Things End"... I'm not sure I can forgive you for that one, lol. I absolutely adore that song. What I like about Hozier's music, most of all, is that all of it is thoughtful. His music is thoughtful about a wide variety of subjects the same way that Taylor Swift's music is thoughtful about relationships. For a more straightforward comparison, in terms of range of subject matter, I might actually choose Billie Eilish. The thing I would say about all three of those artists is that they are artists first and foremost, and music is simply their medium of choice, if that makes sense.

Hozier lives in a town near the beach like 15 minutes away from me and I once seen him out for a walk. Mad to think he’s that famous

He writes all his own lyrics 100% but on this album in particular he produced some songs with others and basically was generous in giving writing credits to anyone in the room at the time.

i kinda wanna push back against the comment that hozier's music is shallow. there are lots of artists, some that i love and some that i don't, where i feel that criticism is fair, but i really don't think it is here. hozier's music has been both political and thoughtful from the start with take me to church, although i won't go into that since a lot of people seem to be doing so already. i find the way he writes about sex/the church/power as intertwining motifs particularly interesting. but my point is, hozier is one of those artists where there's always something more to glean from his writing, or an extra layer i missed on first listen. lyrically i really cannot think of a single hollow song. you're right in this idea that first time is about this destruction of the self thing at the beginning/end of a relationship. i think most of the deaths in this album are metaphorical in a similar vein, but besides that, it's a motif he uses often. in jackie and wilson, he refers to every version of himself being dead and buried in the yard outside, in from eden he talks about being dug up by his new lover (then goes on to wonder what she was doing at the graveyard to begin with), and in "in a week", although this is not quite the same use of the death motif, he writes about decomposing in a bog with his lover, referencing bog bodies. i feel that you might already know this based on some comments you made later in the video but am not sure, so-- unreal unearth isn't actually meant to be a concept album, which is admittedly something i found confusing at first. but basically, he's pulling from the imagery from inferno and using the structure of the nine circles to depict a journey through a kind of hell, but not necessarily dante's. in francesca, the goal is not to depict dante's text, he actively seeks to rewrite the story from a more sympathetic point of view, and he's said things to similar effect in interviews. to your point about one of the later songs sounding like the hurricane of lovers, the layered vocal outro in francesca is meant to mimic exactly that. i think de selby parts 1 and 2 are a clever indication that even though this is a kind of dante's inferno story, it isn't _dante's_ inferno. he's approaching icarus in a similar way to francesca; this one is also meant to subvert or retell the original story, rather than depict it in its original form. what you said about these two is true; he has a habit of doing this reclamation of sin or divine punishment thing, which goes all the way back to take me to church. i don't think it's just a turning of sin on its head, i think it's also an assertion that sin (particularly sexual sin) is its own kind of holiness. as someone who was raised catholic and who likewise comes from a culture that has been ravaged by the religion, and i guess as a queer person, this is incredibly meaningful to me. take me to church's music video is even more explicit about this catholic idea of sexual sin in relation to queer people but back to the bog bodies thing, hozier has a way of juxtaposing and sex/romantic love with more morbid imagery that i really love. this is the song recommendations part of my comment, if you still want to listen to more of his music, regardless of whether it's on or offline. nfwmb was the song that properly got me into hozier's music after the hit that was take me to church. it's haunting, has that acoustic vibe you mentioned, and remains one of my favorites. it describes the narrator's lover as kind of terrifying, but this being exactly what he loves about her. i also love "it will come back", in which the narrator is like a hungry stray dog (love the guitar in this). and "run" which is also very haunted sounding, is essentially this love song about ireland. to answer your question about what people love about hozier, for me it's two things. the first is, as a literary nerd, i feel like he's one of few artists that i get to consistently analyze like a piece of literary fiction or a poem, in part because of the references he makes, but more because of the way he writes. i saw that you have a mitski review, which i will also watch, because i also feel this way about her. the second thing is i think he has a uniquely i guess heartfelt/interesting/layered way of writing about love, sex, and relationships, (which adjective fits best depends on the song, altho i'm not sure if heartfelt is quite the word i'm looking for) which is why i would suggest giving some of the love songs a second chance, or if you listen to some of his other love songs, more of a chance despite them being love songs. there's a lot there too, i promise lastly, here's an extra thing about "anything but" that i think you might appreciate; although on their face, hozier's assertions that if he were a (blank), he wouldn't (blank), sound like sweet platitudes, in ireland, this type of turn of phrase is actually an underhanded way of saying you don't want anything to do with someone. if i were a riptide i wouldn't take you out means i would go to great lengths just to avoid you. if we take unreal unearth as a breakup album, i interpret this as the stage after the relationship ends where the sadness and leftover love of your ex starts to dissipate and the remaining annoyance finally properly settles in lol anyway thank you for reading this far if you did. i'm sorry about that reddit thread. that sounds rough. my condolences about your dad. i know that's rough

Another really interesting discussion-great as always! I personally am a big fan of Hozier (since Take Me to Church blew up actually), and the mix of his lyrics and voice have always been the main reason. Like you mentioned at the beginning, he’s not my favourite artist, but he is someone I always pay attention to. Given that you enjoyed this album, I would definitely recommend one of his more recent singles, Swan Upon Leda. Some people don’t enjoy the production choices, but to me it is one of his best, and perfectly sums up Hozier’s strengths.

It’s HOE-ZEE-UR. Like cozier.

oh, no. don't say an irishman doesn't have soul. people are ensouled by suffering; the irish have certainly suffered -- in recent centuries, at the hands of british colonialists. ar shiúl leat.

Sorry to hear about your father. There's a song about the pandemic and our relationship with grief and the world that didn't make it on the album, but was released on an EP called Through Me (The Flood). Also there are other songs that didn't make it that reference The Inferno more directly such "Hymn to Virgil" and some were originally written even in Terza rima. I'd say it's less a concept album and more of a borrowed structure of a catabasis and then ascent layered with heartbreak.

totally off man, very loosely inspired by Inferno, not a direct interpretation. Hozier is a genius, a very gracious and genuine Irish man and one the best artists of the last decade

For the lack of better words, I felt like I was being edged the entirety of this video. Every time I thought you were close to getting it, the review took a 180. Regarding your perception of him as a white man to contextualize his music, I understand where you’re coming from considering you had not done the homework of looking into his background. That was mistake number one because of lot of his music, especially in unreal unearth has aspects of his Irish roots. He has that aspect of blues and gospel in his music because he appreciates it for what it is and its origin. He made that evident with his songs like ‘Nina cries power’ where he pays homage to not only the predecessors in the genre, but also the African American community. He is quite political in his craft because unlike other artists who never use their platform for any social advocacy, he vocalizes his support actively AND consistently. And again, he is from Ireland, some people do not have the privilege of not being political. The depth of his concern for social justice is prominent in songs like Swan upon leda, butchered tongue, nina cries power, eat your young and more. Having said this, he has the talent to craft cutting lyrics laced in religious, historical and literature references with that underlying pinning that not a lot of men have the ability to convey (he isnt chosen by the lesbian community for no reason). Overall, he is a gem of an artist and although you make some fair points in the review, I think you missed the essence of Hozier that makes him an exceptional artist in today’s music industry.

avaa some of people I follow on tumblr are insane about hozier but I don't know many people in real life that know his discography apart from take me to church and this other song that blew up on tik tok in lockdown as sounds for videos of people in the country side or doing fantasy cosplays and stuff like that. I initially wanted to listen to this album mainly because I heard of the literary references and I have to study the divine comedy this year. then I heard on tumblr about the song butchered tounges which just by the description I saw already resonated with me and the culture I inherited from my mother's side that is slowly dying. I finally sat down and listened to this album because I saw you posted the review.

I really respect your opinions on Hozier’s songs and this album in particular. However I do have some gripes with the fact that you had many questions about him but didn’t pursue any research for said questions (also Hozier is his middle name) Also the talk about the “ripping off” of Amen by Take Me To Church. Andrew (Hozier) grew up Irish Catholic and gospel and blues were a huge reason he got into music. His father is also a musician and his mother is an artist and really in a lot of his interviews he plays homage to black musicians for inspiring him. I do have to admit that I’m speaking from bias but truly he’s my favorite artist because of his willingness to speak his truth and speak of love in a way that is mostly often talked about by female artists. I often compare Hozier to Marmite, either you love him or you hate him. I think that’s very much because of the reason that some people connect to him and relate to him instantly. We find a home in his songs and lyrics that we haven’t found anywhere else. That’s also where the “honorary lesbian” thing comes from, he writes about love in a way that many men in the musical spotlight don’t. Anyway I’ll stop my rant now, I enjoyed the video very much though! AVAA

This and his self titled album are insane

This review went on a journey

I'd give his other albums a listen. If you like the stripped back stuff such as Unknown, songs like: Shrike, Cherry Wine, Work Song, To Be Alone, Wasteland Baby, and Would That I are all great. Other notable songs are From Eden and In A Week.

i’d be interested to see your review of sam fender - he’s hugely popular in the uk, just played at reading festival

AVAA! Interesting video, so much in there! I listened to your analysis in full yesterday and have had a chance to comment now. I feel you are a bit unjust in your bias towards Irish artists. I'm Irish, I live in Wicklow and see Hozier around but i have never really been a fan. Like you who had at best a fleeting knowledge about the guy from a half hazard distance, I have always regarded him as a bit too safe for me, neo white soul etc But i think you are completely wrong about the song Take me to Church, which i think is a masterpiece of the gothic Nick Cave variety (Nick Cave does soul too you know - ever heard Abbatoir Blues/ The Lyre of Orpheus??) That was my take on Hozier's magnum opus and I never thought he was trying to sound like someone else. He is one of these Irish artists who genuinely comes from a family of real craftspeople and musicians, the painting, beekeeping real thing. I listened to his new album this week and agree with you that its full of hit and misses - but it's a pretty good project overall. I watched his recent interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music and no matter how much i try to dismiss him as a hippie vegan for students etc, I cant. Because he is extremely impressive when interviewed, very humble but confident - unbelievably knowledgable on music and literature (although claims he doesnt read, some stuff just sticks) he is aware of his own talent - and not actually fake. I like him. Undecided about whether I will go to see him in concert this year, but i will in the future. I think your daughter and her pals are probably right. I'm more with you on Hozier but steering towards admiration.

He is a gift from above...

This Guy is so fking deep, we all would drown...

Unreal is a collection of masterpieces.

AVAA. Funnily enough my dad (Nick) also died in February, my condolences for your loss

Day 168 of Asking you to Review Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youth PS. Ayyyeeee the name drop, I've never been more honored

His voice is other worldly.

8:40 definitely my favorite but I wonder if his fans are mainly made up of introverts who dont post lol

I'm not well versed with Dante but with your explanation, I think Hozier sings Francesca as the younger person who is trying by all means to justify a choice he might regret but can not do anything about it so he tries to paint this very star-crossed picture as a last-ditch effort to have some type of control or to cope with the experiences he is living through in hell. The progression of the album kind of backs this when you see how he speaks of the "lover' or "love". I see him using that particular point of view to address the need for people at times even in stories to justify actions that they know are wrong and have to live with the consequences of but can not deal with its self-criticism so they play a more accepted view of the situation. Francesca is him not dealing with the reality of their relationship and wanting to portray a more fantasized, star-crossed lover, everyone and everything else is to blame but us type view ("Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I" = blaming heaven for not accepting the relationship for what it was instead of seeing why the choices of how their love manifested are in the wrong). the Romeo and Juliet popular view of love vs the reality of that love. i could be wrong though.

Awesome videos always

Please do an interview with Lauren Auder

Miss. I managed to stay through the moments where you called hozier's songs terrible/middle of the road/shallow/bland, and I can only guess that lacking an understanding of the Irish postcolonial/cultural/political perspective has limited your ability to engage with his work. You can just say this music isnt your vibe. Hozier's songs have always been fiercely political and critical of systems of oppression, heavily influenced by black musicians who are acknowledged throughout, he reads extremely widely (did poetry readings on IG live during the lockdowns) and his songs reflect this. I've seen your responses to some of the comments here and I hope they were able to help you reconsider your initial opinions. Also Irish (the language) is called Irish or Gaeilge, not Gaelic. Gaelic is the language family and includes Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Generally Gaelic is used to refer to Scottish.

Definitely a good number of references here. Maybe not *hugely* deep, but deeper than the average.

I am possessed by and worship His voice and brain,

mr.skye can you do a review on sprain’s the lamb as effigy

Think ur reading way to much into it. It it supposed to be about yearning for love, then finding it. Guess kind what you think.

please did he drag tam impala in the intro?! hahahahaha

Very enjoyable review. Thank you.

At 3000 years old He has forgot way more than we have ever known. AVAA

very cool

Ho-zee-er (Andrew). He's fantastic.

I absolutely recommend Hoziers earlier albums. I agree that some of the songs in this album musically just didnt hit for me as well as his earlier work. His lyricism and voice really carries my relistens through unreal unearth. Some of the songs musically just sound so uninspired for and its disappointing for one of my favorite artists. But yeah Who We Are sucks real bad.

Professor, my boyfriend likes Hozier and I’m in the vein of your opinion… he’s my boyfriends favorite 😮

MISS

Hey

AVAA! Speaking of languages that aren't English, there is an Israeli album that I'd like to introduce you to. It's named Jarak Qaribak(Your neighbour is your friend), and it's an album by Israeli rock musician Dudu Tassa, and Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood, featuring a host of artists from all over the middle east. It's a 40 minute collection of arabic love songs, and one of the most beautiful things ive heard sonically. The english translations r there in the album's liner notes too!

AVVA !

AVAA!

AVVA

HOSE-EAR

Some dude on /r/hozier got real mad over your joke about not knowing how to pronounce his name and the thing about Ireland... Everybody taking the internet too seriously as usual lol

AVAA

Why do my daughter’s friends all love Hozier? Me: because he’s a forest bog man. next question 😂

Thank you for taking feedbacks (about interacting with your audience in this case) seriously! (Or is it just a coincidence?) That's really great, and having your community on RU-vid more engaged, I think it can help to get more viewers with time (the algo-cat shows in an easier way contents to Hozier or x-artist fans that are not your subscribers) I guess I'm edgy, a son of patriarchy, a standard boring and predictable white dude, all of your analysis is super interesting. But I really don't like Hozier

AVAA

Avaa

avaa

weirdly, first - AVAA

AVAA!

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AVAA