Hi-Fi Serious

A

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hollywood Records
• ASIN: B000069COD
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #125,164 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Something's Going On

2. 6 O'Clock on a Tube Stop

3. Going Down

4. Took It Away

5. Starbucks

6. The Springs

7. Shut Yer Face

8. Pacific Ocean Blue

9. The Distance

10. W.D.Y.C.A.I.

11. Hi-Fi Serious

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

As Hi-Fi Serious so ably demonstrates, sometimes it's just a matter of waiting for the rest of the world to catch up with you. At the time their second album, Monkey Kong, was released, A were pegged as a poor Brit-rock substitute for their angst-heavy American peers. Come their third album, though, A sound every bit the globe-straddling international rock band. Marking out the crucial mid-point between the impassioned emo-pop of Jimmy Eat World and the dumb-assed gross-out punk splatter of Blink-182, Hi-Fi Serious is a cackling, cartoonish descent into fearlessly tuneful power-pop larkery. It's saturated in an obvious love for beach-bum Americana: the lines "It's an endless summer / It's the summer forever" breeze through the song "Pacific Ocean Blue." And while the five are frighteningly eager to dally like playful puppies through all rock's cheesiest clichés--just check out guitarist Mark Chapman's Eddie Van Halen-style fretwork on "The Distance"—the music is always performed with enough charm to win the day. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Album of 2002, July 16, 2002

By	drew m (maryland United States) - See all my reviews

Despite all the doom, and gloom, and artifice, something glorious is happening in music this year. Kids reared on 80's pop metal and 90's grunge are growing up to create music that brings the two genres together into the perfect power punk combination. Witness Andrew WK, Jimmy Eat World, the Hives, Weezer, and now A. Hi Fi Serious is A's latest album, and if this isn't a bid for commercial superstardom, nothing is. But here's the thing: when you try and reach a broad audience by concentrating on melody, and not image, great things can happen. And here's proof.

Hi Fi Serious is a gloriously overproduced 50 minutes of fun. Only the opener, "Nothing," is a dud (and even it has a killer bridge). Everything that follows is straight pop rock out of Def Leppard's playbook, only with that little bit of 90's edge that makes all the difference between wimpy poser music and rock star glory. "Something's Going On" and "6 O'Clock on a Tube Stop" set the tone with quietly tuneful verses and soaring choruses. The band then rockets through 9 more songs, ditching ballads, and emphasizing melodies so big you could surf down them. Sure, the lyrics leave a little to be desired, but who cares? You'll be too busy hopping up and with a silly grin on your mug to care. A gets away with it because it's musical sensibility is as innocent as a first kiss. Songs like "Nothing and "Shut Yer Face" try and give them a little more attitude, but they don't need it. Not when they have a song like "Pacific Ocean Blue," a song so big and wonderful it makes you remember why pop is king. Try sitting still while hearing it. You'll fail miserably.

This newest breed of pop rock (which A fits squarely into) hasn't truly broken through yet to mainstream dominance. But efforts like Hi Fi Serious make it an issue of when, and not if, one of these great acts blows sky high and sells 10 million records. A's put out as worthy a candidate as you can find. Highly recommended.

(Note: American issues of Hi Fi Serious include a bonus track "Champions of Endings," a Jane's Addiction-inspired soarer that is absolutely brilliant. Make sure your copy has it.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brit talent, March 25, 2005

By	Angel Duque (Caracas, Venezuela) - See all my reviews

In south america, at least in Venezuela, we mostly listen to music from the US when it comes to rock and pop. That limits us from enjoying music from other sources where you can find all sorts sounds. That I realized while living in the UK for 3 years when I came across bands like Coldplay, Muse, Ash, Travis, The Darkness, and many more... but then I came across with a band called "A", which to my surprise has been neglegted even in their own native England. I bought their CD Hi-Fi serious after watching their video in MTV UK, an I can tell that these guys have talent, starting by their vocalist who's voice has traces of Sting with a more edgy sound. Get this CD and you won't regret it... and another thing the guys are taking out a new CD this spring... so be alert for good rock from the old country... don't forget to check out other brit bands like the veteran Catherine Wheel and Sundial

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably outstanding, April 3, 2003

By	Neil A. Smith "neiltbag" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It takes something special to get me to praise an album but this is just that. I've been a fan of A for nearly 4 years, and considered "Monkey Kong" to be a strong album. This latest offering however is off the scale. When I first put this CD on, I was a bit concerned that they'd headed in a nu-metal direction with the loud, metallic guitar riff of "Nothing". I needn't have worried: beneath it was incredibly rich production, thick vocal harmonies, interesting keyboard sounds and samples and one of the tightest rhythm sections to be found in the alt/power-punk genre today. The CD then progresses through pop gems like "Something's Going On" and the bittersweet "Going Down" before hitting an extremely strong trio. "Starbucks" is brilliantly written with a sweet acoustic-style guitar part; "The Springs" breathes with lush melodies; and "Shut Yer Face" is fun, heavy and grooving. But wait - there's more. The next few songs are not the best on the album, but it's worth the wait for "Hi-Fi Serious" and the bonus track "Champion of Endings". The former is almost opus-like in it's construction, whilst the latter once again showcases the band's melodic instincts. Superb - possibly my favourite 21st century album...