Mind Chaos

Hockey, Hockey | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 6, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B001VMAVDW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,331 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

HOCKEY MIND CHAOS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Brilliant, October 10, 2009

By 

To Be Simple - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mind Chaos (Audio CD)

Other than having heard the song "Too Fake," I knew nothing about the band called Hockey before purchasing this CD. All I knew was that the song "Too Fake" had a groovy early Rod Stewart feel to it and I found myself playing it over and over again. Now that I have had the chance to listen to the full CD I find myself just putting the entire album on repeat. This effort from Hockey is rock/pop brilliance.

It is hard to categorize Hockey's sound. Think Rod Stewart meets Talking Heads, with a bit of Tom Tom Club and funk thrown in, and yet that still does not do complete justice in describing Hockey. They have such a cool 80s vibe to them, but they are not stuck in the 80s merely trying to imitate anything in particular. "Mind Chaos" is just really well-conceived music from start to finish. The vast majority of songs are upbeat, with driving rhythm guitar and bass. Each song has a unique character and adds something to the album.

The album itself contains eleven songs and weighs in at just over 45 minutes. Every one of the songs is strong, which is highly unusual in this day and age. The packaging is extremely minimalist. The CD comes in a thin cardboard slipcase, with no booklet. On the left inside of the packaging is the listing of the band members and some artwork, and on the right inside flap is the track listing and some artwork.

"Mind Chaos" will certainly go down as one of the musical bright spots of 2009. It gets my fullest and most enthusiastic recommendation. I can see myself listening to it for many years to come. I certainly hope Hockey has a long career and puts out more albums in the future. This group is special.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy upbeat interest pop!, October 29, 2010

By 

PuroShaggy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Chaos (Audio CD)

Way back in 1982, ABC put out what is hands down the most clever, infectious, danceable, smart pop record that has ever been recorded, "Lexicon of Love". (If you have heard it, you know what I am talking about, and if you haven't, get this album now.) While the album produced two hits- "Poison Arrow" and "Look of Love"- and universal critical praise, it never took hold and earned the reputation for the classic album that it is. Hockey's "Mind Chaos" is the first album I have heard since that elicits the same feelings of warmth, joy, and appreciation.
At its basic, this is a great pop album with many danceable moments. The hooks fly at you faster than Mohammad Ali's left during the Rumble in the Jungle. If you are not humming along with at least half the songs by the end of your first listen, then you may be deaf. The music is infectious, catchy, and is brilliantly produced, bringing out the punch in the bass and the shimmy in the cymbals.
If that was all it had going for it, this would be a good album. Lucky for us, the lyrics take each song to a whole other level and curse this band with a debut that is great. Like MGMT before them, the music is firmly rooted in the past- sometimes in a reinterpretative way, sometimes as straight copy while the lyrics openly acknowledge this obvious debt in a way that verges on apologetic but are smart enough to never truly go there. The first song is titled "Too Fake", and so when that first chorus hits two minutes into the ridiculously catchy opener, this declaration of being "Too Fake" seems clever and slightly amusing. Okay, they know, you think to yourself. During "Song Away", the singer acknowledges stealing his identity and owns up to writing a song with an "80's groove", while name dropping Roxy Music. And let's be honest- by the time the 7th song rolls around and you realize that the song is titled "Wanna Be Black", and that yes, it's about wanting to be black, again, you just can't help but smile.
The only misstep is the Bob Dylan/Wallflowers sounding "Four Holy Photos", which is not even as good as Blitzen Trapper on a bad day. But other than this, this is an amazing album. Singeable, danceable, hummable, and smart enough to be lyrically analyzed- "Mind Chaos" will not disappoint.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Needs to be the standard rather than the exception!, February 9, 2011

By 

C. Carter Holland "Ampoliros" (Tejas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mind Chaos (Audio CD)

Why is it that we actually have to search for bands as good as Hockey? I'm so tired of hearing sound on the radio which I am told to like and told is actual music when its nothing more than an assembly line product.

Hockey is the real deal: Fun, inventive, and crafted by musicians for people who want to treat their ears to an audio feast.