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New CDs come across the style desk about once a week. Most of the time they are absolute crap. Some are dismissed at first glance — for instance, a metal CD wrapped in paper with a picture of some sort of demonic clown, or a guy whose album might as well be called “Gee, Don’t I Look a Lot Like Kurt Cobain?” judging by its cover. Others get a listen, but most don’t make it past the first two tracks.
That changed when “Mind Chaos” by Portland, Ore.-based Hockey arrived. Their debut looked like a real album, and they were even legitimate enough to have appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and received positive press from a couple of formidable music magazines. Still, most likely the album would be trash.
Hockey’s sound isn’t that original, but it has the right stuff to send them on their way. Essentially, Hockey is another dance-rock band, of which there is certainly an abundance. But these guys do it right, blending the right amount of the polyester discotheque and the hole-in-the-wall bar.
Like most bands just breaking into the national picture, Hockey has been around for a while. This is obvious throughout the album. The first few tracks are a battle between Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes. Front man Ben Grubin’s vocals are perfect for the band’s songs. Sure he’s got a little Julian Casablancas in him, but he’s also got a little Tina Turner. That is until the last third of the album when he turns into Bob Dylan. “Four Holy Photos” sounds like a cheap Dylan knock-off — complete with harmonica and little doses of organ.
Luckily, before you get to that part of the album, you get to hear them rock out. They lose the synths by the fifth track or so. “Song Away” is an ode to success only being one song away; unfortunately I don’t think this Tom Petty-esque single is going to get anyone famous.
Hockey is greatest when they get funky. They can groove and should be doing that more. Grubin’s vocal delivery lends itself to their dance rhythms but are best when paired with some rickety guitars rather than synths.
Lyrically this album is nothing to write home about, but Grubin tosses in a few witty quips and one-liners in his lightning-fast delivery. Perhaps Grubin’s rap influences, according to their press release, lead them to their self-aggrandizing lyrics, such as in the opener “Too Fake” when he claims, “I’ve got too much soul for the world.”
They sound like a lot of other bands, but then again those bands are good, so why not? I can hear some of the Artic Monkeys in there, and when they slow things down on the final track “Everyone’s The Same Age,” it’s really pretty.
This is a band with a lot of dimensions, but a lot of work to do to hone their sound. The album has got some great elements but until they pare down the excess, they will still probably be a mediocre band. But hey, it’s only their first CD.
Grade: C+
Bangor Daily News