Poniedziałek 11 Maj 2009, 9:15

Im listening to Hard-fi again, and I think I will be listening to them more often for a while. Hard-fi is one of the few bands that have songs that consistently leave me coming back for more, songs that are always there for me and that I can relate to. Few bands have entire albums or majorities of songs that I can literally say that I love. I remember hearing them for the first time two years ago in Arizona from Casey’s friend Dan. We went to his apartment had a small party while he DJ’d the music. I was instantly in love with this library as he played songs that kept sparking my interest. Dan eventually played a song by Hard-fi that, at the time, I had heard somewhere, though now that I think about it I have absolutely no idea where I had heard the song before, and even now I can’t remember which song it was. Anyway, I told myself that I would download some songs by the band when I got home however I hadn’t gotten around to doing it until maybe 2 or 3 months later. As soon as I downloaded one or two of their songs I was hooked. Later on I eventually obtained their first album labled Stars of Cctv. At the time I was beginning to pay attention to music’s actual contents, for example I began more or less understanding lyrics and sound placement. I became more and more interested in the lyrics not only how the song plainly sounded. I was still new to analyzing music and I hadn’t put a ton of thought into the process.

Stars of Cctv was a magical album for me. Cash Machine, the first song on the album was a song that I loved right from the get-go, it was catchy, the chorus was amusing, and the rawness of it seemed to make me think of struggling. Although the album was so great for me, I had actually not loved all of the songs. Middle Eastern Holiday and Tied Up Too Tight were songs even now I overlook because of something about them that just doesn’t click with me. Hard to Beat was a song that was critically acclaimed and was shown as a listener favorite on iTunes way before I even listened to the song itself. I had only had a couple songs before Hard to Beat and didn’t understand at the time how the songs I was listening to currently weren’t in the top. A couple listens later of the song, I instantly could see why. Hard to Beat makes you want to get up and jam. It incites pictures of a downtown club. I can imagine Richard Archer standing on stage, mic in hand rocking to the crowd about the girl he appropriately describes as “hard to beat.” A funny thing about Hard-fi’s songs in my opinion is that a good portion of their songs bring me to that same night club. I can see the small but passionate crowd, obviously crowded infront of the smaller stage containing the band. The picture is almost music video-ish. Up to the song Move on Now, the image is electric, high energy, and fun. Move on Now takes a 180 turn to the sadness and pain within Archers’ heart as he seems to spill it about a certain female he is parting ways with. Again I get a picture in my head yet it’s a drastic change to the crazy nightlife the songs before it enticed. I see Archer walking down a city street late at night with street lamps glaring down on him while the atmosphere still appears dark and lonely, indeed very lonely, despite the casual bypasser and car motoring by. Despite the pain in his voice it appears it is his decision to move on. Does this song follow the possible storyline of Hard to Beat? Song ended, the follow-up is Better do better. This song is a bit more upbeat and shows more sureness in Archers’ voice. As soon as the song starts you are able to assume he is again talking about a girl. He is voicing his apparent disgust and dare I say hate, of that particular woman who seems to have broken his heart in the past. He goes on to describe the situation in which him and that woman interacted and how she eventually cheated on him. The most powerful and noticeable aspect of the song is the fact that he is no longer seemingly sullen about the fact that she broke his heart. He is “back up off the floor” and is now telling her straight up he wants nothing to do with her after she tries to take him back. Oddly enough, the picture I get in my head is him walking down that same street as in Move on Now, however, it is day time, if not a cold one, and has a skip in his step as he strolls down the street yelling his feelings and the fact that he’s done with her. Feltham is Singing Out is another one of the songs on the album that I did not connect with as I did with some of the others. Although in Archers tone in the song he appears to be singing to tell this person off, or at least voice is dislike for the way someone may be or have been acting. His voice seems void of happiness and is somewhat unhappy sounding. Next up is Living for the Weekend, one of my first songs received by this band. The music in the background before the singing and storytelling already makes me think of the weekend, with something about it, possibly how it goes from small to a crescendo of music straight to the lyrics, possibly the high point in the weekend. Archer seems to portray someone, or maybe even everyone in general and the fact that most if not all people indeed live for the weekend, working their asses off to actually enjoy the fruits of their labor after a long week. Money in hand, 6 o’ clock, Archer is off and out with his boys drinkin’, dancin’, and having a well deserved blast. This song is just full of fun from the middle to the end after you fully understand the point to the song. The last song of the album, Stars of Cctv, is my personal favorite on the album. The first verse of the song brings to the table a way of singing that you haven’t heard much from Archer. He starts off in a higher pitch with his voice that one wouldn’t expect but that doesn’t at all take away from the power that comes from his more familiar tone. The music in the song is uplifting, sounds accomplishing. The song seems to recap the album and acts as a good ending and wrap-up. He mentions going out, acting as the person in the spotlight. I absolutely love in the middle of the song the small diamond in the rough as the piano plays through the clapping drums and insistent guitar.

Well after hearing Stars of Cctv, I eventually found out that they had come out with another, more recent album labled Once Upon A Time in the West. . .