Hard-Fi - Killer Sounds - CD Album Review
It may not please the most dogged of fans who think the band will never return to their glory days, but at least Hard-Fi are trying to show they’re still making an effort.
Hard-Fi burst onto the scene in 2005 with their debut album, Stars of CCTV that featured the popular songs, Hard To Beat, Cash Machine, and Living For The Weekend and these all reached the top 15 in the UKs chart. The album has sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide 600,000 being sold in the UK. Many would say that the majority of sales were down to the band being nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize and their nomination for two BRIT Awards, alongside bands such as Franz Ferdinand, Oasis and Gorillaz, and theyve got a point. Any band nominated for awards such as these two are going to have much more press coverage and word-of-mouth will follow and considering they were a fairly small band, compared to the other bands nominated, people became intrigued as to who they were and felt obliged to find out more about them, listen to them, love them, hate them. But, saying this, Stars of CCTV, was in fact a very good album. The songs that I mentioned earlier are still some of Hard-Fi fans favourites, can be heard still being played on radio stations and are played in clubs. Their second album, Once Upon A Time In The West, was hit-or miss with fans. It did really well overseas (especially in Japan) and the single Cant Get Along (Without You) spent two weeks in top position in the charts in Peru and Argentina. Even though it went straight to number 1 in the UK and received positive reviews from a host of newspapers, magazines and critics, it didnt seem to have the same effect as their debut. Many fans began to dwindle away, saddened that their once favourite band was beginning to sell out to the masses. Some thought the fame had gone to the members heads, some thought that Stars of CCTV would never be matched, or bettered, again and others just thought that, like so many other bands, their debut was released at the right time, to the right market, when there wasnt much else to choose from. So, with their third album, 'Killer Sounds' have Hard-Fi managed to claw back some respect and draw their fans back? Not quite. But its still an improvement and encouraging hearing the band slowly, cautiously moving back to some form of their former selves. This may not win people over, but it will still shift well. 
Good For Nothing is a funky opener. The well-timed, strummed guitars force the song to pace itself, regardless of the constant, danceable drum-beat. Trumpets even appear in the song, which reminds the listener of the ska element that Hard-Fi sometimes use. Richard Archers vocals are used well and he doesnt overplay it, as he can at times. The dosage is just right and it makes for an easy listen. The opening lyrics will be in your head for days: The man who lives upstairs / Is on a mission/ He just talk he never listen / He jus talk he never listen / And he complains, complains about my music / Says its too loud / And he hates it. It brings back memories of a care-free youth, especially in the way Archer sings it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVe96l_h-SM Bring It On opens up with a solid bass-line which is a constant throughout the song. The guitars and keys disperse intermittently and it results in a darker sounding track than the rest on offer. Though this may not be a dance-floor filler, it shows Hard-Fis edgier side and will appease long-time fans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAVZjDdq42w Excitement is perhaps the most well structured track on the album. The synth used is really effective and if it wasnt for Archers voice, the song would be a dance track. The guitar solo, however, also sways the song away from dance but because of the repetition of the synth and how much its used, the songs roots lie in the dance genre. The solo is really good. It shows that the band know how to mix things up and arent just about making simple music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI9EcTxdCe4 The last track, Killer Sounds is an acoustic track that leads into a full-band crescendo and it is tender, yet angry. The subject matter is one that is very different to the rest of the album. The lyrics say it all: My best friend died tonight / Didnt make 16 / So Im gonna raise hell tonight / Like you wouldnt believe. It shows the passionate side of Hard-Fi, rather than the carefree image they tend to put across and it works well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R04mtc8wfcI This is an album that shows Hard-Fi slowly getting back to where they were in 2005. It may not please the most dogged of fans who think the band will never return to their glory days, but at least Hard-Fi are trying to show theyre still making an effort. Killer Sounds is released in the U.K. tomorrow.