Hard-Fi, Stars of CCTV

Definitely an album you would leave lying around when you have company over. This is definitely an anthem in itself. The way in which lifes struggles are depicted in a confronting style really does cause a change of emotion within yourself which is what makes music so enjoyable to be in and around.

Stars of CCTV by Hard-Fi may be my least favourite album ever. Due to its omnipresence on AOR and MOR radio everywhere I am so sick of the sound of this band that I have actually considered puncturing my own ear drums. This is a boring combination of two-tone and post-Madchester psychedelic indie disco influenced by the likes of Loaded-era Primal Scream, Happy Mondays and early Verve. Unfortunately, Hard-Fi have taken all the boring cliches and none of the innovation.

They write plodding slightly danceable songs that whinge on about having no money, being hassled by the girlfriend, the pain of actually having to go to a job and about getting wrecked at the weekends. It is specifically geared towards braindead yobs who will think this is philisophical and meaningful when instead it is just carefully conceived to sell records to the most people by playing to the lowest common denominator - people who aren't into RnB but like to drink and dance at the weekends and who will buy this on the basis that they play their own instruments without listening closely.

This band are just annoying. Truly annoying. Inspid and everywhere. "Cash Machine" in particular may be the most irritating song ever to grace the airwaves. This band are worse than being stuck in a room with Coldplay, Keane and The Ordinary Boys all trying to sing at you all at once. Really. They are that bad. Don't believe the hype. Don't buy this!

What a massive album! I don't think there is a weak tune. Hard-Fi, Stars of CCTV is powerful catchy and varied. But that is not all the words are really good meaningful relevant political messages about the underclass we send to Iraq or lock-up in Feltham when we notice them!

They are not clever, they are not new/different . They are only average players.

On the good side the lyrics are fun and the songs are great.

Better production would be nice then again maybe the roughish production was done to give it a more indie fill.

A above average likeable first album

Hard-Fi are part of the growing cadre of new British guitar bands, but, unlike their compatriots such as Franz Ferdinand, the Kaiser Chiefs or The Departure, rather than taking their cues from new wave, post punk and 1980's indie, they've instead turned to Two-Tone and ska as well as the more moody elements of the Clash and the danceable rhythms of the Happy Mondays for their influences. Far from sounding like Specials copycats, however, what they've produced is unqiue and catchy indie rock about inner city tension, disillusionment and the frustration of being young and stuck in a dead end.