Hi I'm Becky, thanks for looking at my reviews. I try and read and rate as many back as I can. I als...
Hi I'm Becky, thanks for looking at my reviews. I try and read and rate as many back as I can. I also post on dooyoo.co.uk as funagogo. I finally have the internet and a functioning laptop. I live in Kettering and am a journalist by trade (for my sins)
Member since:29.11.2006
Reviews:61
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Hard Fi are undoubtedly one of the UK's most promising indie-rock bands - and this their debut album confirms this, well to me anyway.
The Band are made up of Rich Archer (Vocals, Guitar) Kai Stephens ( Bass), Ross Phillips (Guitar) and Steve Kemp (Drums) who all hail from Staines, Surrey. This backdrop is a clear influence on their music
Once the album had been released (it was released due to the death of Archers mother,) it went on to go to Number 1 and go double platinum and be Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize:
Track Listing
Cash Machine - A catchy song with the lovely subject of doing a runner after finding out your girlfriend is pregnant and being a slave to a cash machine. Was released as a single and rightly so, has a haunting harmonica intro with a funky bass line and every time I hear this I end up singing "There's a whole in my pocket..."
Middle Eastern Holiday - Who says music nowadays doesn't have a message? This anti Iraq song has shouty vocals,
harsh guitars and a fast paced bass line.
Tied Up Too Tight - One word - Brilliant. From the catchy piano intro to the smooth vocals this is pure class. The bridge is rocky and who would have thought "Get your boots on" could sound so damn sexy. The chorus is just about the catchiest thing you will hear. Love it!
Gotta Reason - Archers shouty vocals appear again here, not my favourite on the album, a cool guitar riff shapes the song but I think this song is a victim of the albums success.
Hard to Beat - Contains one of the filthiest lines I have ever heard in a song "Turn up the thermostat - I wanna see you sweat!" Urgh! Another belting single about chatting up a girl. Brilliant lyrics, rocking guitars - love the fast talking ending and the random two claps!
Unnecessary Trouble - Ska influenced track, thumping bass line. A cool song that could almost have been done by The Specials - to quote the great Louis Walsh "I liked it." Its a great song to have on in the car with the windows wound down checking people out at traffic lights!
Move On Now - One of the slow tracks on the album with haunting. Simply vocals and a piano if you get a chance to see this live make sure you do - it is absolutely beautiful. It's the kind of song that after a night on the lash could make you quite weepy.
Better Do Better - A song about a cheating girlfriend who wants to come back after being chucked out by her new fella. Not the most cheery of subjects but a suprisingly catchy tune. A gorgeous string section in the chorus, and I think everyone can associate with the lyrics. You can almost hear the anger in the vocals - "Your face makes me wanna be sick." Another classic especially if you have just been dumped
Feltham Is Singing Out - A siren like effect through the song, hard guitars and a football style chant chorus. Not one of my favourites - is a bit monotonous compared to the more high tempo tracks
Living for the Weekend - Sounds like a nightclub from the outside to start with, which I quite like. Kicks in with a cracking verse about how crap work is and that the only thing getting you through the week is the thought of the weekend. High tempo, a subject most of its listeners will identify with and strikes me as more pop than hard rock. The "pressure" bit I love, but maybe that is because I'm a drunken fool and like shouting
Stars of CCTV - The intro takes you to a Mexican bar doing tequila shots - I don't like this song solely because falsetto vocals freak me out big time. It does have a catchy chorus though
Overview: If half way through this album you think - this sounds like its been recorded in a taxi rank - you are right - it was! Puts all those production fiends to shame.
This is a great album and deserves all the recognition it got at the time. I can't decide if the songs sounding similar is a good thing - being their signature sound, or bad - meaning they aren't maximising their potential.
It doesn't seem like a very long album either - I downloaded mine and got 3 bonus videos with it, so if you aren't bothered about having the physical CD in your collection it may be worth looking into that (plus ladies you get to see Archers sexy smouldering eyes!)
I would definitely recommend this album, before they release a mediocre follow up and lose all their credibility
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Jan 14th, 2007
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