Hockey - 'Learn To Lose'
Here's how it all starts. A watery ripple of sound, a fairy lady lets loose a spiralling moan, the drums and bass kick into what can only be described as a 'hot groove', and twittery guitars do that chunterfunk thing you don't hear so much of these days. Then Benjamin Grubin steps up to the mic, and we hear this:
"I don't know what to do"
and then this:
"I don't know what to do"
and then:
"I don't know what to do"
and:
"I don't know what to do"
Er, Ben? Benjy? Maybe you could, y'know...START THE SONG! We are ALL WAITING HERE!
Sheesh! What a time to have a crisis of confidence.
(. It's a video about shooting a video. Should I be filming myself watching it?)
The good news is, once Ben gets himself together, summery pop things start to happen straight away. It's more pop as in "quality popular music like people used to make when your dad was a nipper" than "the very latest in amazing sound and ideas", but that's kind of perfect for summer, isn't it? Something a bit familiar, but fresh enough that you're not constantly playing spot the reference.
Plus it's happy! And it sounds HUGE! And Ben can really properly sing, not just whisper-yelp like certain people (out of Metro Station), even if he does occasionally huff and puff like he's trying to prove he has soul. And that fairy lady makes what could be a worthy but dull exercise in rootsy riff-pop into something a little stranger and more interesting, so everyone wins.
Unfortunately, it seems Ben can't quite keep it together for an entire song. He lapses back into wondering what to do after the guitar solo. But don't be too hard on him, apparently last time he lost control of his confidence it took him five years to get it back.
Frankly, if it's like that this time around, I will probably have found something else to do by then. At least, I very much hope so.
Download: Out now
CD Released: June 1st
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
"The band are currently making waves in the indie world with their watered down Strokes-like riffs and crazy hair."
"It is probably going to be quite the floor filler this summer."
"Hockey is the name of a sport."
Comment number 1.
At 27th May 2009, spirit wrote:I like this and I liked their previous single "Too fake "
The album Mind Chaos is out soon....
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Comment number 2.
At 27th May 2009, spirit wrote:Love the guitar riff at 1.45 cool....
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