Hard-Fi falls victim to typical sophomore slump

The Brit rockers release a worthy album, but it doesn't live up to their debut.

By Kelsey Whipple

Published Sept. 14, 2007

The sophomore slump is no joke, and when a band's home country, like that of Staines, England band Hard-Fi, is overrun with bands waiting to take over the U.S., it can be an undoing.

In Hard-Fi's second album, Once Upon a Time In the West, the quartet has come back to fare better than their peers in the post-punk packed British music scene, but not without a bit of a dip.

Recorded in — believe it or not — a rented taxi cabin, Hard-Fi's 2005 debut, Stars of CCTV, sold near the million-dollar mark in the U.K.

And the critics were sold, too; Brit and Mercury Prize nominations flocked in with the fans, all panting for the record's successor.

But a return to the band's hometown, which it shares with Ali G, produced a good record, but not a great one.

There are exceptions, though, and new single "Suburban Knights" is one of them.

The almost too catchy track follows the chorus formula — packed with chants of "aaaaaay" and "ooooooh" — and early on, it seemed as though the pressure wasn't too much for the band.

It's a shame, then, when the feeling doesn't last.

Although Hard-Fi should be praised for upping the musical variety on its new album, most of the lyrics are real downers. "Suburban Knights" begins with "Suburban days, they last so long, you shop for outfits, we sing our song," and evokes an awkward homage to "Summer Nights" from the musical "Grease."

The line is later saved by the über-British smarm of, "We've had enough. What's there to lose?/My friends and I doped up on TV, fags and booze!." Cue crowds who have followed their example and scream the line at concerts.

Not all the lyrics are salvageable, though. The don't-let-the-man-get-you-down message of "Television" is always a teen pleaser, but it is never advisable to rhyme "television" with "new religion." And I might need a lesson in British history, but whatever "the Great West Road" mentioned in "Tonight" is, it does not belong in the song.

"Help Me Please" is a pleasant surprise from a group that typically champions the shout-along style of younger bands. The ballad focuses on the recent death of frontman Richard Archer's mother, which was an event that quickly emptied the band's 2005 Glastonbury spot. Coldplay is not the only bunch of Brits who can handle emotion, and in "Tonight," Hard-Fi proves the more popular band does not have a monopoly on the piano either.

In Once Upon a Time In the West, Hard-Fi blends its patented mix of youth rock with ska and even Motown, while also throwing in the occasional ballad.

It is a more mature perspective on an overused approach, and in the end, Hard-Fi is not the only band unable to top its debut.

But they are still a cheeky bunch. Once Upon a Time in the West's empty yellow album cover reads "NO COVER ART" in oversized print, an albeit silly break from the norm.

The single artwork for "Suburban Knights" is another smirk-provoker and reads "PHOTO OF BAND NOT AVAILABLE."

The sayings will make music magazines grimace and fans grin, but everyone should be listening.