Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good... just not as good as 'Stars of CCTV', 25 Sep 2007
Hard-Fi's debut 'Stars of CCTV' is one of the best albums I have ever heard, so I was very, very excited about the release of 'Once Upon a Time in the West'. Unfortunately, I've got to say that, although it's a good, solid record, this sophomore effort just doesn't live up to its predecessor.
Lead single 'Suburban Knights', with its chanted refrain, is a good enough singalong, but it feels more than a little like a Kasabian pastiche - and Hard-Fi are (or were) better than that. In places, the band appear to have lost their edge; the passion and anger that made their debut so thrilling seem dulled, and the lyrics about ordinary working life now ring hollow. Most baffling is the decision not only to include 'Can't Get Along (Without You)' - a track first recorded by frontman Richard Archer's previous band Contempo - but also to release it as a single. In my opinion, this is the worst song Hard-Fi have ever recorded; the lyrics are cringe-inducing. As a long-time fan, I can't understand why the band would include a track like this when they've had far better B-sides - the anthemic 'Stronger', for example, and their scintillating cover of the White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army'.
This certainly isn't to say that the album is all bad. The bitter, defiant 'I Shall Overcome' has a great gospel-influenced chorus. Strings are used to fantastic effect on 'Watch Me Fall Apart' and 'Tonight', giving the songs an air of grandeur that was absent from the first album. 'We Need Love' sounds like a football chant as mixed by Goldfrapp - no bad thing, since this brings an experimental edge to the band's sound. There's a couple of tracks, most notably 'Television', that have incredibly weak verses but still boast Hard-Fi's trademark powerful choruses. Because of this, the record becomes more likeable the more you play it and familiarise yourself with the songs.
'Once Upon a Time in the West' is a good album, with a few standout tracks; and if you're already a Hard-Fi fan, or if you like 'Suburban Knights', you'll find it very listenable. But if you're new to the band, my advice would be to buy the far superior 'Stars of CCTV' - in my opinion, a record good enough to be called a bona fide classic, with every song good enough to be made a single.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good follow up, 21 Sep 2007
Whilst this album was never going to catch the dizzy heights its predecessor reached it's still a good follow up.
It's darker and more soulful than Stars of CCTV and a feeling of loneliness echoes throughout the album.
I was initially disappointed that `You and Me' failed to make the final cut on the album as this is one of hard-fi's best songs but was reduced to being the B side of Suburban Knights..
'Surburban Knights' kicks off the album and although clever lyrically it does begin to sound a little clichéd after a while as does the track 'Televison' but purists could argue this is what hard-fi do best - anthemic, terrace-chant style songs.
Highlights are 'Can't get along without you', 'watch me fall apart' and the superb last track `The King' However for me the stand out track is `help me please' Richard Archer's evocative cry for help.
Don't buy this album if you're expecting Stars Of CCTV Mark 2, OUATITW is a more polished, mature grown up sounding version of hard fi. Am already looking forward to the 3rd album
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great album from hard fi, 2 Sep 2007
The second album from hard fi continues the unique style that made their debut album 'Stars of CCTV' sell 1.2m copies, I've commented on my favourite tracks from the album. 'The King' is about a man returning to his home town trying to find his ex-girlfriend "got your photo and i wonder do you still own this number but in my heart i know you changed that number long ago, once i was the king". 'Television' is another strong track on the album with a catchy chorus "Television, new religion, everyone sing alleluia". This album has been put on the bands myspace myspace.com/hardfi , and the person who has commented that this album is chavy in their review clearly knows nothing about music.
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