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Product details
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Track Listings
| 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 |
Product Description
Review
Hockey singer Benjamin Grubin’s slippery way with a fast lyric is one of the most appealing aspects of his band’s debut album.
During 3am Spanish, a snappy new wave relative of The Rolling Stones’ Miss You, Grubin coolly intones: “I got the money, but the money got me… I made the money but the money made me.” Later, on Song Away, there’s an equally cool couplet: “See what man has done to the world, see what the world has done to your man.”
These snippets epitomise the appeal of Mind Chaos succinctly. It’s a brief, bright and muscular album that rarely outstays its welcome and is never too clever for its own good.
Opening the record with debut single Too Fake was unwise, though. A fantastic, sweating Hulk Hogan of a synth-adorned pop-rock hit, the album never quite hits the same towering heights afterwards.
Fortunately, there is still plenty to love, from the Iglu & Hartly-go-Motown joy of Learn to Lose to Grubin’s throaty Rod Stewart via Julian Casablancas yelp. Even when Preacher starts drearily, expectations are overturned when it transforms into the jaunty soundtrack to a Wild West bar brawl.
One quibble is the slightly derivative nature of the Portland band’s repertoire. As well as the bands mentioned above, Led Zeppelin (Curse This City), Bob Dylan and Primal Scream (Four Holy Photos) and Talking Heads (Song Away) are pretty obvious references for a mainstream rock act to drop.
Originality niggles aside, the vitality and wit these Oregon upstarts display on this first LP is enough to recommend them to anyone interested in hearing a quality good-time band. Hockey seem to actually give a puck, and that’s reason enough to like ‘em for now. --Lou Thomas
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Product Description
Artist: Hockey
Manufacturer: Virgin/Capitol/EMI
Manufacturer: Virgin/Capitol/EMI
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Hockey burst onto the scene over the summer with fantastic debut single "Too Fake", before blowing people away with the soul-soaked joyous rapture of "Learn To Lose". It's no wonder then, that by the time the Strokes/Dylan tune of "Song Away" hit the airwaves, the anticipation for "Mind Chaos" was growing rapidly.
So does the album live up to the brilliant singles? Well, not quite, not this time. It's frustrating because when Hockey are on fire, they really are unstoppable. "Mind Chaos" however, contains so many influences, that often they sound unfocused and messy. "3am Spanish" starts off well, before changing direction and sounding rather cheesy. "Work" is pleasant enough, but lacks any real sparkle.
Best album track is "Curse This City", a great stomping track that hits its groove and chops and changes to a great climax. This is when Hockey shine.
Aside from that, "Four Holy Photos" is really an attempt at being Bob Dylan for 4 minutes, as pleasant as it is. "Preacher" would have been best left off the album in my opinion, despite starting off well. "Put The Game Down" is better, as is album closer "Everyone's The Same Age".
So all in all, a fair attempt. You will find magic on this album, but it is few and far between on an album with too much filler. The singles however, give hope of better things to come.
So does the album live up to the brilliant singles? Well, not quite, not this time. It's frustrating because when Hockey are on fire, they really are unstoppable. "Mind Chaos" however, contains so many influences, that often they sound unfocused and messy. "3am Spanish" starts off well, before changing direction and sounding rather cheesy. "Work" is pleasant enough, but lacks any real sparkle.
Best album track is "Curse This City", a great stomping track that hits its groove and chops and changes to a great climax. This is when Hockey shine.
Aside from that, "Four Holy Photos" is really an attempt at being Bob Dylan for 4 minutes, as pleasant as it is. "Preacher" would have been best left off the album in my opinion, despite starting off well. "Put The Game Down" is better, as is album closer "Everyone's The Same Age".
So all in all, a fair attempt. You will find magic on this album, but it is few and far between on an album with too much filler. The singles however, give hope of better things to come.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Hockey are an energetic and proficient little ensemble
and their debut album 'Mind Chaos' is packed with goodies.
They wear their musical mentors' influences lightly and
have come up with a fairly distinctive product all their own.
Mr Grubin is an affable frontman despite his vocal limitations.
His cheeky, upbeat performances more than make up for the
occasional blooper. He gives it his all and we should not
expect more of him than that.
The formula is a relatively simple one. Light, bouncy,
fluid arrangements with addictive rhythmic structures
and memorable, good-time choruses.
'Song Away' is a particularly confident example of their ability
to get hairy toes tapping and small woodland creatures jumping.
Mr Reynolds (bass) and Mr Stassi (drums) are a crisply
efficient rhythm section;
Mr White's economical guitar elegantly fills in the gaps.
The general atmosphere sizzles with a good kind of raw energy.
'Wanna Be Black' and 'Preacher' both zip along at a cracking pace.
'Too Fake' and 'Put The Game Down' achieve a healthy balance between
pulsing electronica and guitar-hero-gonna-be-a-rock-star antics.
Final track 'Everyone's The Same Age' is a simple
and pretty tune simply and prettily performed.
There is very little evidence anywhere of the chaos
promised by the project's title.
Coherent, competent and tightly organised, Hockey can
be proud of their first outing in the listening world.
Recommended
and their debut album 'Mind Chaos' is packed with goodies.
They wear their musical mentors' influences lightly and
have come up with a fairly distinctive product all their own.
Mr Grubin is an affable frontman despite his vocal limitations.
His cheeky, upbeat performances more than make up for the
occasional blooper. He gives it his all and we should not
expect more of him than that.
The formula is a relatively simple one. Light, bouncy,
fluid arrangements with addictive rhythmic structures
and memorable, good-time choruses.
'Song Away' is a particularly confident example of their ability
to get hairy toes tapping and small woodland creatures jumping.
Mr Reynolds (bass) and Mr Stassi (drums) are a crisply
efficient rhythm section;
Mr White's economical guitar elegantly fills in the gaps.
The general atmosphere sizzles with a good kind of raw energy.
'Wanna Be Black' and 'Preacher' both zip along at a cracking pace.
'Too Fake' and 'Put The Game Down' achieve a healthy balance between
pulsing electronica and guitar-hero-gonna-be-a-rock-star antics.
Final track 'Everyone's The Same Age' is a simple
and pretty tune simply and prettily performed.
There is very little evidence anywhere of the chaos
promised by the project's title.
Coherent, competent and tightly organised, Hockey can
be proud of their first outing in the listening world.
Recommended
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Saw Hockey on Jools Holland and they impressed enough for me to pre-order the album. Ive only recently given the album a good listen to, and like others have said it has its highs and lows. The 1st couple of listens I could hear many influences and it bugged me to put my finger on just who they were like. They remind me a lot of Mott The Hoople for some reason - probably because they can alternate between the great and the average.
They certainly have lots of energy and character and Im guessing that they are better live than in the studio. All in all a good strong debut that warrants a 3.5 out of 5.......so I will give it a 3 - just to balance out some of the earlier 5 star ratings from those who hadnt even heard the album when they reviewed.
They certainly have lots of energy and character and Im guessing that they are better live than in the studio. All in all a good strong debut that warrants a 3.5 out of 5.......so I will give it a 3 - just to balance out some of the earlier 5 star ratings from those who hadnt even heard the album when they reviewed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very promising
High-quality, easy-listening, catchy and very very promising debut album from West Coasters. Filled with nice surprises, each song is very neatly produced. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2009 by Lola
Nice . . . But not much else . . .
From first impressions make pretty simple indie-pop but on closer inspection there is something more to them. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2009 by Toby Staunton
Hockey Rocks Glastonbury!!
As one of the many who didn't get tickets for Glastonbury this year, have resorted to watching on TV, and by far the stand out act so far is Hockey! Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2009 by P. L. Rice
great!
probs the best band, like, ever! saw them live performing with friendly fires in edinburgh and got our picture taken with benj grubin (lead singer), he is sooo nice!
Published on 22 Jun 2009 by Mrs. C. Gordon
Destined to be big
Saw them in Oxford in Feb and yesterday in Bristol with FF. They are superb. Work & Too Fake first class - Can't wait to get this album.
Published on 27 April 2009 by Rob Curtis
These guys are going to be at the awards next Year
I also caught these guys on Jools Holland tonight, Preordered the album, Already singing the song in my head. Read more
Published on 25 April 2009 by Mr. J. C. Kiddell
Please don't disappoint me : )
I agree with the review above - these guys were great on Jools tonight. While I'm waiting for the album I'm going to go and download their single Too Fake, which already has me... Read more
Published on 25 April 2009 by Suzabella
interesting
this is interesting - they were great on Jools Holland this evening - looking forward to this one
Published on 25 April 2009 by Guy Wynter
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