Hard-Fi
Stars Of CCTV

THE REVIEW

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful...

I discovered this album just over a month ago. A friend, who stayed in London for a long time last year, told me a lot about these Hard-Fi, managing to get me an advance copy (for Italy) of their debut "Stars Of CCTV," which was released already in July 2005 in the United Kingdom. My friend's enthusiasm had sparked quite a bit of curiosity in me.

At first listens, I wasn't immediately convinced by the sound of the band led by Richard Archer. So different and alien from the usual English trends at the time, light years away from Franz Ferdinand, Editors, Bloc Party, and the like. Then suddenly, repeated listens made me leap and awaken from a generalized apathy towards everything new that has been produced by pop and rock in recent years.

"Stars Of CCTV" is a remarkable album, I would even dare to say a milestone of the 2000s.

A very successful pastiche of styles that travel between pop, new-wave, reggae, funk, punk, and rock'n'roll. The "Sandinista" of the new millennium. Considering it's the Hard-Fi's debut, these guys are on the right path to becoming music greats. Their country has already rewarded them with a strong placement at number 1 on the best-selling albums chart by mid-January, over six months after its release. In Italy, they are arriving at the end of February; Atlantic/Warner, the major that has signed them, will release the album, and the single "Cash Machine" is already making waves on the radio.

But what more can I say in detail about this album? Imagine a voice between a more elegant Shaun Ryder and a more rock-oriented Damon Albarn, a sound that travels between epicness akin to Mansun and Pulp and abrasive guitar spikes à la Clash, paired with always captivating melodies veering towards reggae and dub (with some reminiscences of the more inspired Stereo Mc's), and you'll get true classics like "Cash Machine," "Tied Up Too Tight," "Middle Eastern Holiday," and "Living For The Weekend" (the latter perhaps one of the most beautiful songs written in the last five or six years).

You won't be able to do without Hard-Fi if you love music in all its facets.

We're just waiting to see them live soon. That raw and unadorned 'sound' on the record promises well!!!