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ReviewsOregon's Hockey puts forth fun new album for fans of indie electro-pop Date published: 2/5/2010
BY BEN GREGSON "Mind Chaos" is the debut full-length album from Oregon band Hockey. The band's music obviously takes heavy influence from the likes of LCD Soundsystem, MGMT and Arctic Monkeys--but by highlighting frontman Ben Grubin's vocals, provides some of the best fun you can have listening to an album. Grubin is the reason for listening to Hockey. His slippery style and couplets don't try to do anything more than create a hipster-friendly rock experience, which he succeeds in doing. From the opening track and first single, "Too Fake," to the end of the album, there is a pulsating energy and lack of seriousness that is refreshingly fun and will have you singing along on your second listen. "3am Spanish" is the song that epitomizes Grubin's singing style. Cooly spoken verses like "I got the money, but the money got me" and "I made the money, but the money made me" recur throughout the song and are coupled with the rest of his fast-paced lyric-licking to create a unique experience. Starting the album off with "Too Fake" is actually the biggest mistake of the album. A powerful pop-rock song garnished with synth sets a bar that none of the later songs can hope to match--but some do come close, and there is still plenty to love. "Song Away" is the prime competitor with "Too Fake," presenting a strong rhythm with lines like "I take my personality from an anonymous source"--Grubin's nod, perhaps, to the influences he projects in his music. The only track that does not start off with power is "Preacher," which opens with a slow keyboard before picking up to a clap-heavy gospel-singing good time. However, it falls back in tempo and picks up again with heavy guitar riffs and screaming lyrics a few times. The roller coaster ride of this song is fun. Hockey wears its influences on its sleeve while making an original imprint on the music industry--it isn't quite the next MGMT, but if you are not looking for a deep experience, "Mind Chaos" is fun, witty, satisfying and worth picking up in support of a great first attempt. Ben Gregson is a junior
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