Mind Chaos

Audio Mixer: Cenzo Townshend.
Arranger: Hockey.
Hockey's debut MIND CHAOS was initially going to be released by Sony Records--the band even got as far as reworking some of their demos in the studio with producer Jerry Harrision--but the album was left in limbo when the label dropped the band. MIND CHAOS got a new lease on life when Hockey's songs made their way to BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, whose championing of the band's strutting "Learn to Lose" helped earned them another major label deal. It's easy to hear why two big labels were interested in MIND CHAOS; Hockey's angular basslines, chugging guitars and washy keyboards call to mind tried-and-true, new wave-tinged acts like the Strokes, OK Go and the Killers. For most of the album, the band doesn't stray far from this style, and considering that it had been around for awhile before MIND CHAOS's 2009 release, it sounds effective, but not especially fresh. Most of the band's character resides in Ben Grubin's raspy vocals, which lie somewhere in between a young Rod Stewart and the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, and his surprisingly smart lyrics. He's nothing if not self aware: Grubin sings about writing "a truthful song over an '80s groove" on the Cars-like "Song Away," the only Harrison-produced song that ended up on MIND CHAOS' final version. Elsewhere, his hyper-literate tales of self-loathing posers and late-night intrigue give Hockey an appealingly witty personality. When the band stretches out, they get intriguing, if mixed, results: "Work" reveals a slinkier, smokier side to Hockey, as well as a disco fetish, while "Preacher" travels from a gospel-infused ballad to blazing rock. MIND CHAOS is an uneven but promising debut. Considering how much difficulty the band experienced in getting it out, it'll be interesting to hear what they do with the (hopefully) easier road ahead of them.