Hockey
Mind Chaos
Capitol
By Eileen Tilson
Attention Attention, all ye New Wave kids! There is
a new band in town that will seriously start making dance night at MJQ intensely
aerobic. Hockey, the four piece hailing from a basement in Portland, Ore., are
only interested in making music that will help you channel your inner Reverend
Run. This low-fi project definitely has high-fi aspirations. According to the
band, there is a very specific equation for making the Hockey
sound:
Anthony: "We want to marry dance music with real
songs that people can remember."
Jerm: "They should be able to resonate beyond a
small sweaty dance club."
Anthony: "And the lyrics should have a real
message."
Brian: "All that is what makes great pop
music."
And in a nutshell, this is exactly why Hockey is set
to be one of the most vital dance bands in 2009.
Like many successful bands in America, Hockey was
discovered by BBC Radio 1 DJ, Zane Lowe, who quickly catapulted the band. They
signed with Virgin Records in the U.K., and then soon following, Capitol here in
the states. Their debut album, Mind Chaos, has already been receiving
rave reviews for its old school funk/new wave sound. Almost every song on the
album is instantly infectious; “Song Away” easily a dance party hit, and with its
references to “Roxy Music” it will have you remember dancing at Backstreet back
in the ‘80s. The album’s lead single and opening track “Too Fake”
emerged from a stoned extended jam during a gig. Ben, alternating
falsetto with a throaty holler, began channeling James Brown: "I'm just
too fake for the world… I've got too much soul for you…" High or not,
this song instantly grabs you, and has you spinning some Saturday Night Fever
moves. “Learn to Lose,” could easily be found on a Brothers Gibb record and,
outside of the trippy electric guitar solo, has the same “sweatin’ to the
oldies” feel.
But make no mistake, this is not some throwback to
Bell-Bottom Days. This is a progressive bunch of boys who mix the rawness of old
school hip hop with the rawness of garage-rock. Get ready for the scenesters to
lose it over Hockey, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself dancing alone
in your living room.
