Once Upon A Time In The West - Hard-Fi > Reviews > Hard-Fi back with a vengeance!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Great songs, band has developed a lot since 1st album
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Most bands struggle desperately to recreate the quality of their debut album, and in the case of Hard-fi, they certainly had a big act to follow, but in my opinion they have delivered the goods in style with this cracking record.

Usually I find myself disappointed with follow-up albums, but this is one of the only follow-ups that is as good as, or even surpasses the original. In my view, "Once Upon A Time In The West" is even better than debut record "Stars of CCTV."

To fully appreciate an album, I truly believe that one must listen to it in its entirety. As a completework, this is a great album.

With songs such as "Suburban Nights" and "Can't Get Along Without You", the band has reproduced some of the edgey quality that brought them to the dance with their debut album, while songs such as "We Need Love" and "Tonight" demonstrate a new, more refined sound, that shows the band's maturity, and range of influences.

An energetic electro sound penetrates several tracks, such as "Little Angel" and "We need love", which gives the band an intriguing new edge.

Choppy guitar riff, bouncey basslines and passionate lyrics make songs such as "Can't Get Along Without You" and "I Close My Eyes" instant classics, while the mellow feel of "The King" and "Tonight" give the band a tender maturity.

The diversity of this record makes it a more complete work than Hard-fi's previous effort. I really believe that the band have shown good progress here.

The lyrics; a strong point of their previous album, remain consistently good, with political undertones and catchy rhymes, while the vocals are as solid as ever.

The band have certainly changed direction with this record, but they have by no means abandoned their roots. Rather, they have expanded on their previous work and developed their lyrics and sound to a new level, making them one of the few "New Brit Indie" bands of the last 3 or 4 years to do so.

I would definitely advise that fans of the band buy this album, and I also think that this album may appeal to people who disliked the previous album, as it contains greater depth and musical diversity. Personally, I felt that this is an instant classic. I can't emphasise how impressive this is for a second albm... in fact, it's difficult to see where they'll go from here!

This is an underrated album in my opinion, but it puts the band back where they belong, right up there with the cream of their generation.

Anyone who buys this record MUST listen to all the songs on here, as they compliment eachother and flow in a very effective order; which is something that many bands don't quite achieve with albums.

A must have for any fans of British Indie. A really good album. Go and buy it, now!