Album Review: Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV

Grade: B+ | Genre: Brit Rock

Summary: Hard-Fi is definitely better than the surface level tunes of the Bravery yet still needs to knock back a couple more pints to reach the cover-to-cover brilliance of Franz Ferdinand.

The Mercury Prize for 2005 has officially come and gone with little known Antony and the Johnsons taking home the honors. While it is certainly a curious little effort, I don’t think it necessarily rises to the level of it’s competition: Bloc Party, Coldplay, M.I.A., Kaiser Chiefs or KT Tunstall. Today, we wrap our coverage of the nominees by featuring the band that fell a mere one vote shy of the £10,000 prize and international notoriety it carries. Hard-Fi is a group that prescribes to the new New Wave mold filled by bands like Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight and the Killers. These guys proudly don their Members Only jackets and cram their plastic Pac-man lunch boxes full of Fruit Roll-ups and mighty mellon Capri Sun. Everything old is new again, which is strangely comforting.

Now one would think we are reaching the saturation point with these bands, digging up a past of Flock of Seagulls hair explosions and Madonna jelly bracelets. I think this is more of a problem of sub par acts seeping under the rug and stinking up the place. There is a flood of these sonically challenged bands floating around out there (Futureheads, The Music, Dogs Die in Hot Cars…do I need to keep going) that seem to be doing their best to catch this monstrous wave yet forgot their board on the shore. When it comes to great music, it shouldn’t matter what genre or sound a band employees. It’s always welcome. Hard-Fi definitely gets a posh spot at the dinner table with their dirty beats, disco styling and fierce working class spirit.

Disco would never have died if “Hard to Beat” had been bouncing off the dance floor as the sun set on the 70’s. Its manic kitsch recalls white polyester suits, platform shoes and that flickering disco ball, spinning you into a dizzying stupor. The track has fabulous energy and makes you want to get up and dance like Napoleon Dynamite shakin’ his groove thang. “Gotta Reason” launches at us with feverously pulsing guitars and Richard Archer’s pointed vocals that seem to strain themselves to the point of exhaustion. It’s a savage assault to your system that is dripping with raw punk goodness, clocking in at less than three minutes. There is this constant theme that pervades the disk of the lower classes’ struggle to claw its way to the top. Whether it’s bleeding through a menial job to get your way from one weekend to the next (“Living for the Weekend”) or hoodlums knocking over banks Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels-style in the cleverly titled “Stars of CCTV,” these boys are well accustomed to the seedy underbelly of life. “Cash Machine” is an ode to being broke in a life constructed to break you. The ever-present grit echoes in these tunes affording them plenty of street creed even if the tunes do seem a little light and goofy for these guys to call themselves true thugs. Can we get a little bling for the boys?

The best track on the album is when the band slams on the breaks, flinging you head first over the handlebars. “Move On Now” is a quiet contemplation of a relationship on the brink. It’s a song about leaving a life that’s grown stale where the color has drained out of the world. It reflects on better times saying that we should be moving on, but its really he that will be doing the leaving before its all said and done. The pianos are careful, vocals hollow yet rich with emotion, and we get maudlin horns to accent the soft edges. It’s such a nice piece. It sounds like Oasis at their best quiet moment (“Talk Tonight”) or perhaps a classic Smiths tune like “I Know Its Over.” The stark contrast really sets this track off and beams the spotlight on its brilliance. I hope Hard-Fi takes to mining this aspect of their musical selves a little more thoroughly on future efforts.

While this disk is overweighed with stout hits, Stars of CCTV isn’t a flawless disk from start to finish. There are several lackluster tracks that just loiter around doing little more than posturing. “Middle Eastern Holiday” has a good beat though it seems too much like nervous energy writhing out. “Unnecessary Trouble” is a low battery in need of a jump. A little bit of pizzazz goes a long way. The chorus on “Feltham is Singing Out” sounds like grunge sinking in a tar pit.

At the end of the day, Hard-Fi is definitely better than the surface level tunes of the Bravery yet still needs to knock back a couple more pints to reach the cover-to-cover brilliance of Franz Ferdinand (look for the review of their super catchy new effort being unveiled in the weeks ahead). Hard-Fi is a band that shows considerable promise that can shape compelling beats to draw attention to itself in this crowded field. Although Mercury mercilessly robbed them of their coin and bragging rights, we know where the real talent lies. Count me among those with front rows seats to anxiously watch this band mature into its overflowing potential.

Image Courtesy of Atlantic Records