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.