Hard-Fi - Once Upon A Time In The West

I have the Ministry of Sound to thank for this awesome album. I downloaded their Annual for 2008 and Hard-Fi’s “Suburban Knights” was one of the tracks reworked on the discs. I was taken instantly by the remix as the rock soul was interwoven so dramatically with a dance touch. I listened to that track incessantly for awhile.

However, it wasn’t until months later that I got around to downloading the entire album – titled Once Upon A Time In The West. I thought I’d give it a quick go – but that never really happened. Somehow, the album found itself on repeat – again and again. The disc is a bit short as well – which promotes a certain amount of replays. Regardless, I loved it. The record did everything right – catchy choruses, powerful chords and pertinent lyrics. All the tracks mesh well together also – there’s no real need to skip ahead.

To be fair, I had heard of Hard-Fi before this newest attempt. I knew of their first LP Stars of CCTV and the singles released with it – and they were attractive – but not enough for me to indulge in the whole album. I’m glad I did for Once Upon A Time. What makes it all memorable is the urgency of some of the tracks. A few of the songs leap out at you – with real yearnings of the heart. At least, that’s what I get.

Some other trivia for you: Once Upon A Time debuted at number 1 on the UK charts the week it was released. If only bands like this could do the same in North America. And their name: “Hard-Fi” is the name given to the sound produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry, a Grammy award-winning reggae and dub artist. Because the band likes Perry’s work – they decided to name themselves after his distinctive sound. I can’t hear much in the way of reggae in the collection – but there is a unique jangle to the songs. Well, give it a listen and you’ll understand first hand. It’s a nice little piece of work.





Hard-Fi official site
Hard-Fi on YouTube
Hard-Fi on MySpace