Working under the banner of NorthSphere Records - which, much like The Residents’ Cryptic Corporation, is not so much an actual record label as it is a tax write-off entity developed to fund all of North’s endeavors, the make-shift, home-recorded authenticity of The Hideous North’s work seems fresh, endearing and completely welcome in the current over-produced, gingerbread cookie music scene
North’s ideas have always been unique, if not completely brilliant, and though he may whine in an Adam Duritz pitched howl, he doesn’t serve any cheese. The cliche lines that dominate any other “woe-is-me” ballad are completely absent in his work. This makes it both a challenge and accomplishment to relate to North’s lyrics - any way you look at it, it’s refreshing to be moved out of that kind of mundane complacency.
The Hideous North perfectly straddles and maintains balance on the fine line between pop-culture kitsch and oddall odd.