No Cover Art Could Ever Make This Album Interesting (Once Upon A Time In The West - Hard-Fi)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Once Upon A Time In The West - Hard-Fi
Date:	03/09/08 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A couple of fairly okay tracks.

Disadvantages: The rest are painfully bland and boring to listen to.

'Once Upon a Time in the West' is the second studio album from the English indie rock band that is Hard-Fi. The band released its debut effort 'Stars of CCTV' in 2005 and this second album then followed in 2007 once more released through Warner Music. The album consists of 11 tracks and this therefore provides for 38 minutes of music. I wasn't sure what to expect with this second album from Hard-Fi; the band's first album was okay but nothing particularly special and I was therefore hoping that things would improve markedly with album number two.

The album begins quite well with lead single 'Suburban Knights', things quickly go downhill from here however and before you know it the tracks are all rolling into one and you can never quite tell where one track ends and the next begins. It's a pretty bog standard indie rock album, there's nothing particularly special about the music at all and nothing that that really makes the tracks ever stand out. As I say though; 'Suburban Knights' provides the album with a pretty decent opening number and has an excellent chorus to sing along to here. It's not perfect, it's the best track of the lot however and the track with which the band's sound is best put across here. Hard-Fi has never been a particularly groundbreaking band, 'Stars of CCTV' did however come complete with a number of infectious indie anthems and none of that can really be found here with album number two.

One track that does here sound a little bit different is that of 'Tonight'; vocally the track reminds me a little of Robbie Williams, instrumentally also it sounds like nothing more than a Robbie Williams album track in fact. The music lacks power, and I can't help but think of Robbie Williams every time I hear this one; not Robbie Williams at his best mind, more like Robbie Williams at his absolute worst.

There's very little present on this album which ever really grabs your interest; the tracks pass by and you're left wondering when the next half decent track may come. Sadly, by the time the end of the album is reached you begin to realise that 'Once Upon a Time in the West' peaks far too soon with its first track and it's then all downhill from that point onwards. Aside from 'Suburban Knights' it's only really 'Can't Get Along (Without You)' that grabs me from this album, it's quite a soulful little number and although quite boring to listen to on the whole is still the second best track that this album has to offer. It's quite bland in its progression, it has some decent instrumental elements however and it is these that make the music vaguely enjoyable to listen to here.

If you're looking for an action packed indie rock album then do yourselves a favour and look elsewhere; this second Hard-Fi effort just isn't very good, and unless you have some serious sleep problems and are looking for a potential cure for your insomnia then 'Once Upon a Time in the West' isn't really worth wasting your time over. 'Once Upon a Time in the West' is one of the most painfully dull albums I've ever had the misfortune of listening to in my life, it's most definitely for the best to avoid this album and taking the time to listen to it is certainly not recommended. Give 'Suburban Knights' a go, avoid the rest at all costs however and never be tempted to purchase this album however cheap its price may be.


Label: Warner Music
Release Date: September 3rd 2007

Summary: 'Once Upon A Time In The West' is not worth wasting the time listening to.