Shortly after the release of Different came the second volume from the collaboration between
Hugh Hopper and Lisa S. Klossner, this one entitled
Cryptics.
Hopper's warped sense of the pop song form fits perfectly with Klossner's dark and somewhat sad voice. Recorded mostly after Different, these songs are generally gloomier and sport lusher arrangements.
Hopper's programming has become warmer, his bass is more prominent, and the input from other musicians (flutist
Chrystelle Blanc-Lanaute, trumpeter Christine Janet, drummer
Pip Pyle, trombonist
Robert Jarvis, guitarist
Gary Smith, and saxophonist
Elton Dean) brings diversity to the mix. In essence,
Cryptids sounds a couple of steps closer to
Hughscore's
Delta Flora. Of all the music
Hopper has recorded, his collaborations with Lisa S. Klossner have yielded his simplest but best-crafted songs. Stripped of the chops and time signature changes, he turns out to be quite a melodist and arranger. Judging from the way the
Hopper-Klossner association has matured through this second offering, one can only hope for a third set of songs.