Release Date: Oct 22, 2007
Label: RCA
Genres: Indie Rock
Number Of Tracks: 11
Trick To Life is an album filled with upbeat treats, as well as glimpses of a deeper, darker edge.
The Trick To Life
Reviewed by:
alxtheexpert, on november 09, 2007 6 of 8 people found this review helpful
Sound: As the "Indie" generation grows ever larger more and more new bands are popping in and out of the charts, recording one album then dissapearing. But where they go after their first works is really decided by the impact of their first album. Well there is quite a strong chance this will not hapen to the Hoosiers, however I still have a funny hunch that it could all go horribly wrong. Anyway on to more pressing matters, their first track appeared on iTunes in the form of a free single of the week download, and did not impress me. I keep having several arguments about this from my friends but to me, the tune itself sounds like the guitar and vocals of a Kooks song and the drumming styles of The Ramones mixed together to make a sound that would make D12 feel proud of themselves. However although these comments are sharp and evil, the only way was up for the group and they picked themselves up and made one of the finest albums of the past three years. Irwin Sparkes (if this is his real name) makes a eerie toe-tapping combination of multi-tracked voices and guitar in the song Everything goes dark, which has a fantastic crescendo of the recently mentioned effect near the end of the song, which made my day. Sheer Excellence shows through in the songs Worried About Ray which is guaranteed to make a fool of you on any bus, Feeling You Get, Goodbye Mr A, which many of my colleagues have told me "its only that one line I can remember in the whole song!" which is quite true. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: This is unfortunately where they album loses its impact. It's like Snap, Crackle but no Pop. There's is just something about album fillers that I detest but, not just the album fillers in this album have low-grade lyrics, I mean come on, Run Rabbit Run? Okay the music is top notch and so is the singing but it is simply like someone stuck a hoover on one of their heads and sucked out all the good ideas. As mentioned earlier this is why I am desperately hoping they will improve on this in another album. // 6
Impression: I am happy that The Hoosiers have appeared as the album has proved something I want to play on my iPod whenever I pick it up. Taking their influences from The Cure and XTC it is easy to see where their streak of alternative magic comes from. I love their contrast of indie/alternative with a range of new styles and intsruments. I am extremly dissapointed however, about this album after hearing such good word of mouth about it I wanted it to be 10/10, but it's just the small matter with being another indie band with extremely good talent, but all good ideas being held back, I just hope they put it in another album where they show their genious. // 9
The Trick To Life
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on march 10, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: Overall, The Hoosiers' sound could be described as 'indie', although, they do have a unique style of music which is different to many indie-pop bands in the UK today. The bright, up-beat songs "Worried About Ray" and "Goodbye Mr A" were instant hits, followed by yet another fast track "Worst Case Scenario". Their guitar playing isn't mind-blowing, and they don't seem to take themselves too seriously with their music, but they definetly bring something new, fresh and different to the music industry. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics, strangely, they reveal a darker, much deeper side to the band's overall bright and cheerful sound; the songwords occasionally refering to sadness, despair and death. They're very simple, not over the top or melodramatic, so it takes a few listens to discover the darker edge to the lyrics. The lead singer, Irwin Sparkes, no doubt has amazing range, switching from low, soft notes to powerful high ones easily. Both these elements make each song powerful and memorable in it's own unique sense, which really boosts the quality of the album. // 8
Impression: "The Trick To Life", with a combination of lively, poppy tracks, darker-edged songs, great vocals, and an original sound, is a must have album for alternative-indie lovers. My favourite numbers are "Goodbye Mr A", "Clinging On For Life" and "Money To Be Made; all varied in style, but really stand out for me personally. However, I wouldn't recommend it to death-metal, incredible guitar solo-lovers, for The Hoosiers lack that aspect of music, their strength being not in how complicated the guitar playing is, but the simplicty of the songs and lyrics. I think The Trick To Life is a classic album, and a great start to this talented band's future career, for I hope there is loads more to come! // 9
The Trick To Life
Reviewed by:
iamaguitarfish, on january 08, 2008 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: It is quite hard to describe the overall style of this album as each song is different to the next however the style of the album is definatly something in the genres of pop and britpop and the overall tone of the music is very light. This is probably not the album to buy if you are intrested in the bass line as it is very simple and even more so if you want big guitar solos as they are thin on the groud. This album's charm lies not in it's technical difficulty but in its fresh pop-y sound. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: There is no doubt about it, the singer in this band is amazingly and scarily talented as a twenty-something male he is able to reach notes that I, a twelve year old girl, could not even dream of. However the lyrics, although good, are not exceptional. They can only be described as odd. What makes many of the songs so powerful is the contrast between a bright pop-y tune and dark, almost disturbing, lyrics, which, for reasons unknown, works really well. // 7
Impression: This album is a must have for anybody who likes bands such as the holloways or the feeling as it echos their styles. I personly like the softer songs on the album namely "Everything Goes Dark" and "Clinging On For Life" as the pop songs can become slightly tedious. I would deffinatly recomend this to anybody who lijes good british pop. // 9
i must say, this is the best fairest review ive read on this site. the author should be proud.
imo, its the hoosiers. im sorry, but with their brand of pop indie, their only one step away from the backstreet boys. and that image...appealing to 5 year old girls. im sorry, but thats my 2 cents
i must say, this is the best fairest review ive read on this site. the author should be proud.
imo, its the hoosiers. im sorry, but with their brand of pop indie, their only one step away from the backstreet boys. and that image...appealing to 5 year old girls. im sorry, but thats my 2 cents
It's true...at least other bands like The Klaxons (who I can't stand) don't try to be a band tor 8 year old girls...I know 14 year old boys who like The Hoosiers...
I met a girl on the beach during summer vacation and she was from St. Louis. She said they say "hoosier" when referring to someone as a "ho," which in certain dialect is also synonymous with "idiot."
I've never heard of them. I just clicked on this because I'm from Indiana and we're called Hoosiers. From the comments posted, they dont sound like that great of a band.
mr a was ok but worried about ray just got on my nerves really badly, plus i'm definitely not into the indie scene, but its nice to see they dont take themselves too seriously for their own good
oh... THAT guy wrote:
I Like A Lot Of Metal, (Lamb of God, Slayer, A7X, Mastodon etc.) And The Song Worried About Ray is Kind Of A Guilty Pleasure For Me.
I went out and bought this album, like most, I liked Worried About Ray, as sort of a guilty pleasure...Mr A didn't catch me.
If you like upbeat pop, then you'll like the album, simple as. I like pop structures so I like the album, its not exactly original, some sogns sound exactly like The Cure in places and others sound like other bands but in terms of an album that you can just put on to do the housework to, its a good solid album.
sorry for the double post, but if anyones ever heard of a 70's/80's band ELO, you can see ther just trying to carry on a style
i totally agree with this. and that's why i bought their album.
i heard mr.a in a mall, and immediately turned on my ipod and searched through my electric light orchestra songs, because i couldn't remember the name. then i realised it wasn't elo, and came home and found on the net that it was a band named the hoosiers. then i found out that they're on the fifa 08 soundtrack, and that i'd already heard them
anyway, they sound a lot like elo, and that's a pretty good thing imo.
Sure, they sound like some other bands, but their new - and some of their songs are really great. Clinging on for life for instance is a great track that really shows off irwin sparkes (real name) fabulous voice. Run rabbit run, worried about ray, everything goes dark and a sadness runs through him disappointed me first time round - but now i cant turn on my ipod without listening to them!
Some of the hoosiers newer unrealesed tracks - ruby blue, rules, sister sister, sarajevo - are absolutely fantastic. Dont give up on the hoosiers just yet, even if you dont like THIS album
ze monsta wrote:
I know 14 year old boys who like The Hoosiers...
And I'm one of them
You know what? , I loved them when the album first came out 3 years ago... I was just 12 then and 14 now and I started listening to them and I still like them
Imo , you can like whatever music you want (as long as it's not Justin Beiber). I also LOVE Lamb of God , Disturbed and Fall Out Boy. I don't see the problem with them
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imo, its the hoosiers. im sorry, but with their brand of pop indie, their only one step away from the backstreet boys. and that image...appealing to 5 year old girls. im sorry, but thats my 2 cents