Mr. Bean II
Angela 3
Music Times
Cibbuano
TyronneHard Fi proud of their Lo Fi sound
July 14th 2006 03:51
Jason Statham
Perhaps the reason why their music fits so well into British crime fiction is that they are originally from Staines, a small British town 25km from central London that can be proud only of their contribution to the linoleum industry during the 60s, and the recent success of the band.
"Stars of CCTV"
In truth, the album has been recorded twice. One, in their search for fame, and originally a nine-track album recorded in a mini-cab office. When they finally landed a record deal with Atlantic Records, they re-recorded the album in the same location, retaining that unique sound that had gotten them that original fame. And what a sound it is. The opening track, Cash Machine is the track I described earlier, an excellent mix of the jazzy bass riff, clean guitar and heavily EQd vocals - though this is done in a tasteful fashion, unlike Brandon Flowers' annoying echo in the entirety of the Killers' discography. The song is an excellent example of the band's use of enough pop to draw in audiences, while sticking to their true musical vision, all to the background of frontman Richard Archer singing about the difficulty of being broke in modern day England.
The second track, Middle Eastern Holiday, is even rougher, a mixture of post-punk with that slight jazz twist. Archer's voice is complemented throughout the verse with continuing echoes, distinctly British and really unlike anything that American bands, even slightly British ones like the Killers, can pull off. Tied Up Too Tight introduces the disco/acid jazz side of the band, synthesised strings with a piano beat, before a poppy chorus that uses a "na-na" hook. While this has obviously been done to death, it is not unwelcome in this song, making it sound like it was recorded in a pub full of drag queens.
Hard Fi frontman Richard Archer
One thing great about this band is their simple diversity. One track is disco-influenced, and the next is straight post-punk, which is exactly what Gotta Reason is. Then comes Hard to Beat, a mixture of Bloc Party-influenced post-punk with a disco edge and a more pubby feel, a continuous theme that reaffirms that this band are in fact from Staines. Unnecessary Trouble opens with a trumpet riff that sounds like it was pulled straight from a 50s gangster film featuring the Rat Pack. An American gangster feel rather than the British that was exhibited prior to this, but Archer is in no way attempting to pull of Dean Martin's voice. Instead, Archer's vocals sound more like Robbie Williams after 50 years of drug and alcohol abuse, all while smoking two packs a day. While the smoothness of Williams' voice shines through on some tracks, for the most part Archer's vocals are far rougher, and without reprimand.
The one attempt from the band to create a mellow band comes in the form of Move On Now, a piano-based song in which Archer tries a little too hard to extend his vocal range, resulting only in a rather boring song. Thankfully, this only occurs once of the album, as the band quickly returns to what they do best - that mix of post-punk, disco and jazz that culminate in hard-hitting choruses that are engaging for the listener while listening but unfortunately have little chance of staying in their minds. Feltham is Singing Out is a hard-hitting song, a buildup in the verse of strings and other instruments slowly moving up the scale until reaching the chorus, a pub-esque choir of voices that again affirms the idea of the small British town and the links to the bands origins.
Then, there's Living for the Weekend, a Jamiroquai-influenced acid-jazz/disco piece in which the vocal EQ returns. The album comes to and end with another mellow ballad, but one that is slightly better than Move On Now. Stars of CCTV is an acoustic song in which Archer once again experiments with a greater vocal range with limited success. But the music makes up for it. From the Gypsy Kings guitar rhythm to the unconventional harmony in the chorus, the song makes for a good end to the album.
Overall, Hard-Fi's first attempt at hitting it big is a good one, and it seems to have succeeded, with the band recently opening for Green Day during their British tour, and an Australian tour imminent (tickets can be purchased here). The second half of the album, while held together with songs like Living for the Weekend and Feltham is Singing Out, tends to showcase the more experimental side of the band though, in the end, the result appears to be songs that are rather generic and do not differ greatly from the melodical stylings that have already been established.
| 83 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Sisi
Comment by Jimbo
Comment by Sisi
All of my radios are tuned to Nova but when I'm on the computer I stream from the JJJ website. Thank goodness for live stream...without it I'd be experiencing severe withdrawal from Australian radio right about now (I'm currently overseas)...but I can totally relate to the not knowing what JJJ is playing feeling...I wish they'd do what Nova does and post the songs just played on their website
Comment by Jimbo