October 6, 2008

Hockey - Mind Chaos (2008)

I know my Jay Reatard reviews have made me sound like a total fanboy lately, but I've listened to a lot of bands this year and this may be the one I was looking for. Only time will tell if the concert high wears off. They combine my love of gritty soulful vocals, funky baselines, and indie rock. While not nearly as noisy and wild as their live show, the album still captures that allusive cool, yet fun sound. The vocals are just more discernible.

Like MGMT and the Virgins, there's no denying that they love the 80's party jams, but like the former, they mix it up enough to keep it sounding fresh. It's only nine songs long and they are all pretty damn good, but if you made me choose I'd say you need to check out "Too Fake", which sounds like LCD Soundsystem fronted by Rod Stewart, and "Work", which combines world weary lyrics and dancefloor groove. As strong as the songs are, I still I prefer their more feral state. Until you can see them live, crank it up loud.

3 Comments:

Nightrain said...

I am really digging this album... "Too Fake," "Curse This City," "Work," & "Song Away" are all real solid tracks.

Thanks for moving to Portland so we can all reap the benefits of an associate being in another thriving music market.

awmercy said...

That's why I moved here. The DC scene just didn't have enough going on.

awmercy said...

Looks like Hockey is moving on up.