Earthquake Weather is a sharp improvement over the previous I Don't Love My Guru, triumphing over the sameness which plagued its predecessor thanks to the colorful production of
Earle Mankey.
Hoffman's songs take inspiration from a wide variety of purist pop sources -- while some tracks, like "Rehearsal" and the wonderfully-titled "Morose Colored Glasses," bear a definite
Left Banke/baroque influence, others (such as the terrific opener "He Means Well") are spiky power-pop gems delivered with real energy.