Hockey - Mind Chaos [Album]

Capitol

August 4, 2009, 04:07 PM

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Hockey are the kind of band I would usually keep at arms length. The jovial, summer party American sound isn't really my cup of tea, but I didn't hate 'Mind Chaos' half as much as I thought I would and I can't really say fairer than that. Lets consider the facts for a minute shall we? Portland, Oregen 4 piece Hockey present themselves on their debut album 'Mind Chaos' as the middle ground between the early noughties garage/indie rock movement (The Strokes, The Libertines) and the late noughties 80's movement (just take a look down the top 40), it's a cynical approximation of a sound custom built to sell by the fuck-load.

So Hockey should rightly be the most annoying band of all time right? Well remarkably this is a band who are self-aware enough to make sure the music never becomes as tiresome as you think it will be. And in these hard times can we really begrudge a band for striking so hard at the commercial jugular? It's a sound which sits well on record anyway, with a clean, clear production and a sunny, optimistic tone. Singer Ben Grubin is obviously trying to sound like a more melodic Julian Casablancas and he pulls it off well with a measured and gently drawled delivery that never cracks or falters. The instrumentation throughout contains a few interesting flourishes here and there but aside from a couple of displays of (completely out of place) fret-wankery from guitarist Brian White everything here is tight, simple and by-numbers.

Things start well with 'Too Fake', one of 2 songs on the record with a remarkable chorus (the other being 'Song Away'). It's heady combination of funk rhythms and 80's MOR pop vocals might at first draw unfavourable comparisons to Jamaroquai but these guys have a melodic ear that Jay Kay would kill for. In fact it's this melodic edge that makes the album so listenable. Nearly every song here is structured around a chorus so catchy, it would make The Feeling blush. The aforementioned 'Song Away' is a great song too with a chorus that ranks amongst this summers best. The 3 songs that sit between these two pop-behemoths have charm but suffer by comparison.

Of course 2 great songs and 3 good ones does NOT a great album make and the main problem with the record is just how imbalanced it is. The first 5 songs all blast past in a blur with each one pushing all the right buttons and ticking all the right boxes. From track 6 onwards though the record never recovers, everything that comes after is either awful or just plain average with more than 1 song recalling the drastic vintage awfulness of 'The Birdie Song' (I shit you not!). There are plentiful stinkers here with the unholy trinity of 'Curse The City', Wanna Be Black' and the ridiculous country pastiche 'Four Holy Photos' marking particular low points, but for every listless dirge there is a least 1 solid pop moment to be found, even in the boring songs. And in the albums dying moments Hockey even go some way towards redeeming themselves with the reflective mood of the albums understated closer 'Everyone's The Same Age'.

'Mind Chaos' is a guilty pleasure record for sure and is about as credible a prospect as Scouting For Girls covering Lady Gaga but these guys have a real gift. If they were to put their minds to it I reckon they could transcend this average, lopsided album next time around.

Tracklisting:-
1. Too Fake
2. 3AM Spanish
3. Learn To Lose
4. Work
5. Song Away
6. Curse This City
7. Wanna Be Black
8. Four Holy Photos
9. Preacher
10. Put The Game Down
11. Everyone's The Same Age

Recommended:-
Too Fake, Song Away, Everyone's The Same Age

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