Hard-Fi - Stars of Cctv (Import Only)

I’d been waiting for the debut record from Staines-based (yeah, I said Staines…as in Middlesex, UK) band Hard-Fi to come across my desk for literally three months. So when Stars of CCTV finally did hit, I was as happy as a little girl…well, mostly. I say mostly because there are a few songs on the album of eleven that don’t necessarily float my boat. “Move On Now” sees frontman Richard Archer whining a bit about a dying love in a falsetto that generally grates my nerves. “Better Do Better” is less catchy than a lot of the tracks, but it still has some really good hooky bits - “I could not eat for days / I cried so much my face / Has never been the same and now you’re back here with your lies / I hope you realize …” I can appreciate the willingness and desire to branch out and cover all kinds of different emotions and tempos, but save that for when people already love you, not your first trip out. That all said, there are, in my opinion, eight solid tracks on Stars of CCTV: The first six tracks and the final two. Some may argue that, but I’ll stand by it. Hell, at this point, at least three of those have already been singles in the UK. By drawing on The Specials, The Clash and, even more bizarrely, certain electronica influences, this record is something you need to hear. “Cash Machine” gets the record started in gritty fashion detailing all the rotten ironic things that happen to the guy in the song, culminating in him walking out on his girlfriend whom he’s gotten pregnant. Doesn’t sound like the makings of a pop song really, and that’s not what it is, but it is a damn good song that might just get you in the gut. “Hard To Beat” is a bouncy tribute to going out and hooking up in working class fashion. “Tied Up Too Tight” is an almost angry tribute again to working class life. “Straight out of west London / Just like a loaded gun.” “Middle Eastern Holiday” features rapid fire machine gun rhythms that sound appropriate for this song that is unmistakably about what’s going on from a soldier’s perspective in Iraq right now. Hard to make a political song that’s energetic without being trite, but they’ve done it. By using horns, harmonicas, the usual musical instruments, clever lyrics, and excellent basslines, Hard-Fi have made my one of my favorite records this year, even considering the few missteps on it. It’s a return to the essence of what Britpop has come to stand for. [www.hard-fi.com]