Customer Reviews

Art of Losing (Clean)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I used to dismiss American Hi-Fi as one of those radio-friendly-so-called-post-nirvana-alternative bands - boy I was wrong ! On 'The art of Losing' these guys put out 11 brilliant rock song with a razor sharp edge. There is no filler material and the album clocks in at a bit under 37 minutes - which is great. Why should they spoil a perfect album with mediocre songs just to add a bit of play time ? My favorite tracks are 'The Art of Losing' (which reminds me a bit of Adam and the Ants with the double drums in the beginning), the massive 'Breakup Song' which is followed by the fantastic 'Beautiful Disaster'. My absolute favorite is 'Built for Speed'. I just kept playing this album over and over again after I have purchased it and I am still not the slightest bit tired of these 11 tracks. This is a must buy !

The proverbial sophomore slump isn't something you need to worry about with American Hi-Fi's "The Art of Losing". From the opening strains of the title track replete with it's modern nod to Adam and the Ants and Kim Wilde, you know you are gonna' get rocked. "The Breakup Song" and "Nothing Left to Lose" feel like Green Day meets Nirvana. "Teenage Alien Nation" throbs from the first note. Not a clunker on this release. It is an absolutely dash-pounding, fist-thumping, lighter-flicking summertime classic. Five big stars. If you liked the sound of their stellar debut, you will absolutely want to pound your head when you hear this one. Amaaaaaaaaaaazing.

When I first heard American Hi-Fi and their popular debut single "Flavor of the Week", I assumed they were just another bubble gum "punk" band manufactured to sell records. But I was very suprised when about a year and a half later, they came out with their new album, "The Art Of Losing" which turned out to be a raw, razor sharp creation of 11 great tracks. With songs like "Rise", "Teenage Alien Nation", and "Nothing Left To Lose", they show their talent, drive, and pure love of the punk genre. The screaming yet tender vocals of lead singer Stacy Jones matched with the awesome guitar riffs of Drew Parsons and Jamie Arentzen along with the rocking drum beats of Brian Nolan put together an awesome (but not completely original) sound, and tracks like "Art of Losing" (which reminds me of one fantastic beer commercial) and one of my personal favorites, "Built For Speed" make this a great album on all accounts. As I said before, their sound is not completely original, and a few of the tracks begin to sound the same after awhile. But none the less, after a short hiatus, American Hi-Fi is back, and we couldn't be happier about it.

No need to fear the sophomore slump here. As terrific as American Hi-Fi's debut was, the follow-up (not counting a live Japan-only release) is even better. With a harder edge, the album really shows Stacy Jones and company developing into a major rock force to be reckoned with. It's pretty impossible to get that title track out of your head, but the other tracks on here all are equally satisfying, with "Beautiful Disaster" and "The Breakup Song" being among the standouts. Given what's going on here, it's a safe bet that I'll be first on line to buy whatever AHF releases in the future.

American Hi-Fi released a very poignant, versatile, and emotionally charged rock debut, which spawned a fairly successful single with "Flavor of the Weak", as well as less successful, but better quality singles "Another Perfect Day" and "Safer on the Outside".

With The Art of Losing, they lost nearly all of their emotional depth. However, what they have managed to muster is an album that is a lot more fun to listen to. The first three tracks focused around the theme of breaking up (hence "The Art of Losing", "Breakup Song", and "Beautiful Disaster"), and they move with reckless abandon through crunchy and happy-go-lucky riffs and rhymes. They continue this pace for most of the album - notably in the beautiful disaster of a track called "Nothing Left to Lose", with about the same levels of fun and yet fakeness that seems to borrow from Good Charlotte.

Yet in the second half of the album, once you get past the bubble gum, they seem to pick up where they left from the debut. "Rise", screams aside, is a solid offering, followed by a nice change of pace with "This Is the Sound". The two closing tracks "Built For Speed" and "Happy" definitely leave me glad to have purchased the album, despite its imperfections. I think that this album would make for a much more entertaining live show than its predecessor, but the quality of the lyrics did take a slight dip.

This is one of those albums that you just have to take at face value. While AHF may have shown more emotional range with their debut album, "Art of Losing" is prototypical punk-pop: 3-chord driven melodies and lyrics sung with just enough venom to make you pump your fist. It is meant to be played loudly--preferably somewhere you can pogo like a madman, or at least sing along. The hooks on "Breakup Song," "Nothing Left to Lose" and "Built for Speed" are straight out of the 'I can't get this #*&$ verse of my head!' category.

I think the "ballads" are the weak spots of the album. "This is the Sound" sounds too much like (the worst of) Oasis for my tastes, and "Save Me" has more cliche's than I like--soft/loud/soft, acoustic verse/electric chorus, and guitar licks that could have been sampled right off a Creed album.

When AHF rocks out, the result is much, much better. What I find interesting is that the album seems to progress from more "pop" in the first tracks to more "punk" as the tracks progress...a rare album where the later tracks are better than the earlier tracks.

this is an underatted band. i like how is has its own sound no trying to sound like other bands. i saw them play at michigan state university and they were awsome. if you want some good rock go buy this album.

Stacy Jones really has mastered the Art of Losing with this album! Covering genres that stretch across the atlantic, from the Blink182 sound of "The Art of Losing", to a distinctly Oasis style "The Sound", this album shows just how well the band's lead singer has recovered from the embarrasing flop of verouca salt. Catchy base lines and a mixture of bubbly and grungey tracks give the CD a refreshing sound that can be played all day everyday without ever becomeing repetitive. This CD is a must-have for anyone into Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Sum41, or even Oasis!

The first two tracks are really good, very good melodies and guitar. Yet, as the album continues I find myself thinking "Didn't I allready listen to this song?". That's the thing, the songs all sound the same after a while and the fact that the main singer is screaming more than singing (unlike the first album which was really good compared to this one) makes some songs stand out less than they normally could. What happened?

I bought the album after hearing a couple of songs from the CD somewhere.

First off... I was thrilled that they had a clean version - Hey Blink 182, Eminem how about it? But I was disapointed with some of the songs on the album. Just not the rocking I was hoping for...