Reviewed by:
rpquincey, on september 24, 2007
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: Staines' finest 'Hard-Fi' return for the follow up to their critically acclaimed and brilliant debut 'Stars of CCTV'. 'Once Upon A Time In The West' kicks off with the seriously overplayed (In the UK anyway, thankyou Radio 1) 'Suburban Knights' which still retains its original brilliance after many listens with it's catchy chorus and strong singing this is a good start. If you were expecting this sort of sound throughout the whole album though then prepare to be startled. The rest of the album has quite a few slow songs on it but these work brilliantly with the catchy pop/rock/indie/brit rock mash up of genres that make up the album. Initial impressions of some of the songs will be 'What have they done?', you may think they'd just been in a recording studio all year with 'Take That', but once you listen to the clever lyrics and undertones of rock you'll realise that this is still classic Hard-Fi. 'Television' is one of those songs you'll hate to love and the mellow 'Help Me Please' will have you thinking about everything he sings about. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Classic Hard-Fi again, the lyrics have a feeling of experience about them, like they are actually singing about something they have felt/done, much like 'Feltham is Singing Out' from 'Stars of CCTV'. 'Can't Get Along (Without You)' has so many catchy hooks and brilliant lyrics that you'll play it again and again. One of the main things you'll notice about the lyrics in the album is how many clever, catchy bits they put in, for example, in 'Suburban Knights' you have the soaring backing lyrics 'Hey Hey Heeeeyyyyyy, Oh Ohh Ohhhhhhhhh' etc. In 'Television' they seem to have employed a gospel choir to sing 'Hallelujah' during the chorus. This and many other hooks make the lyrics brilliant and unforgettable. // 10
Impression: This is a very worthy follow up to 'Stars of CCTV' and definately something that will be in my CD player for a while. The mix of heavy guitar, soft pianoes, violins and soaring lyrics make this accessable to pretty much anyone except the hardcore metal heads and Hard-Fi haters. A brilliant album with very little wrong with it. The only problems I have with it is the fact that I won't be listening to anything else for a while and the dilemma I have about whether this is better than 'Stars of CCTV'. Brilliant. // 10
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