By Jared Field
Western Herald
MGMT, Passion Pit, and Portugal the Man may be leading the new wave dance scene, but Hockey is taking the genre by storm.
With their very recent release of debut album, “Mind Chaos,” Hockey, from Portland, Ore., has shown signs of quick success in the U.S. and Europe.
“Look out, I’ve got too much soul for the world, it’s breakin’ my heart in two,” yells singer Ben Grubin on the album’s first track entitled “Too Fake.” The electro-pop song stands as the album’s anthem with dance drum beats overlying cheesy (in a good way) synthesized bongos. The chorus possesses a positive energy that makes the listener want to jump out of their chair and dance around the room. The lyrics channel a similar tone to last year’s new wave anthem “Time to Pretend” by MGMT.
It can be assumed that “Too Fake” will be the song that festival junkies will be throwing their glow sticks in the air, and dancing in a translucent daze to this year.
Track two is titled “3 am Spanish,” and if disco came a decade later and (in the 80’s instead of the 70’s), hip hop a decade earlier, this track is would have been a hit in New York’s Studio 54.
Track “Learn to Lose,” is another mind-blowing anthem reminiscent of Otis Redding’s, “Shout.” The chorus repeats the line, “You know I’ve got to learn to lose for a while,” and the song ends with the line “…till I turn my troubles into gold,” leaving listeners with an interpretational freedom and flexible curiosity.
Another soon to be classic track on “Mind Chaos” possesses quite the entertaining title, “Wanna be Black.” It’s a heavier and more rock influenced track with guitar solos and drum fills, yet the disco dance grooves still remain. The vocals are angry and should be taken in an emotional sense, rather the comical tone the title provides.
The Dylan-esqe “Four Holy Photos,” shows the groups creative flexibility. A softer, less dance heavy track in which Grubin seems as though he’s trying to mask his voice to sound like Bob Dylan, allows listeners to relax for a moment through-out the intense album.
Hockey’s tour schedule is currently taking Europe by storm, but the band will be taking breaks to perform at festivals in the U.S.
“Mind Chaos” is a solid freshman effort, and hopefully a foreshadowing of good things to come from these new kids on the scene.
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