Stars of Cctv [Import]

1. Cash Machine

2. Hard to Beat

3. Middle Eastern Holiday

4. Stronger

5. Hard to Beatmix

6. Gotta Reason

7. Move on Now

8. Feltham Sings Out

9. Cash Machine Mix

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The debut album from Middlesex’s Hard-Fi consciously sets out to update the sense of frustrated tension and suburban dread that powered second-wave ska acts like The Specials and The Beat back at the close of the ‘70s.

Don’t get it twisted, this isn’t ska-punk a la Brit troupers [Spunge] and Capdown: Hard-Fi play this music lean and moody, like The Streets on downers, or Massive Attack plugging in and tuning up. "Cash Machine" sees a swallowed debit card as the jump-off for vocalist Richard Archer to spin a tale of crushing poverty and unwanted pregnancy, spurred along by thrumming dub bass and the sad wheeze of a vibraphone. They do upbeat as well, as club anthem "Hard To Beat"--a heart-fluttering composite of Northern Soul elation and fist-pumping Rockers reggae--joyfully confirms. But it’s the emotional struggle, the ups and downs of life, that keeps Stars Of CCTV engaging throughout: see penultimate track "Living For The Weekend", a hedonistic blast filled with not a little of the passion that fuelled Oasis' Definitely Maybe, which succeeds chiefly because it’s all too aware of the bad times as well as the good. --Louis Pattison

Product Description
Stars Of CCTV is the debut album from Surrey-based Indie rockers Hard-Fi. Fusing together a host of influences, including Happy Mondays-esque baggy, sun kissed Ibizan grooves and even classic two-tone ska, Hard-Fi have crafted an album that buzzes with raw energy and enthusiasm, celebrating the best of British pop culture. Includes the singles 'Cash Machine', 'Tied Up Too Tight' and 'Hard To Beat'. Warner. 2005.

Stars of Cctv,Hard-Fi,Wea/Atlantic,Rock,Rock/Pop

Stars of Cctv [Import]

Average customer rating:

Five Stars for Stars of CCTV
London Suburb Kids Sound Off
New Stars On The Horizon
The next big thing
Genuine West London Sound

Stars of CCTV
Hard-Fi
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Britpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Young for Eternity
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ASIN: B000ECX0Z6
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Tracks:

Cash Machine
Middle Eastern Holiday
Tied Up Too Tight
Gotta Reason
Hard To Beat
Unnecessary Trouble
Move On Now
Better Do Better
Feltham Is Singing Out
Living For The Weekend
Stars of CCTV

Customer Reviews:

Five Stars for Stars of CCTV.......2006-03-30

Stars of CCTV by Hard-Fi is an insanely catchy, extremely good first album. I know in this day and age we anoint the next Beatles on a weekly basis, but there's something about this band (OK, I know a lot of people will say this is sacrilege, especially since Hard-Fi is so derivative). I won't get analytical here... I'll just say, stick it in the cd player and turn up the volume. And, oh yeah, put on your dancing shoes. This is a DANCE BAND. But there's also a grit and gusto there that's real.

Buy it, promote it, love it, live it.

London Suburb Kids Sound Off.......2006-03-23

11 excellant tracks is what you get from a great debut album. Hard Fi are wonderful. The lead track Cash Machine, Tied Up Too Tight, Hard To Beat, and Better Do Better are top of the charts singles. Richard Archer's composer skills are not limited to these four songs. Hard Fi are a new band that has alot of promise with a vein that be traced back to such greats as The Jam, The Clash, and The Specials. Unnecessary Trouble track shows a great blend of these groups. This album will be a classic no matter how long the life of Hard Fi will be. A must buy. Hoping for alot more great music coming out of this band from the suburbs of London. Hard Fi are off to a very good start. Please get this one now.

New Stars On The Horizon.......2006-03-22

Apart from being major rock stars, John Lennon, Madonna and Bono all had in common the loss of their mother in tragic circumstances at a young age - a factor that each saw as a driving force in their quest for fame. Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer can also be added to this dubious list of celebrities, with the death of his mum in June having dampened the release of his band's debut album Stars Of CCTV. Nonetheless, family tragedy can do little to stop this fledgling band from taking off, with Stars Of CCTV hosting a number of hot tracks that will no doubt see them branded as the Kasabian of 2005. Falling somewhere between Stereo MC's and Stereophonics, Hard-Fi mix dance beats with rock bravado, almost as if the outfit was looking for a fight while strutting around a dank club. On opener Cash Machine there's a skank addict desperation to the lyrics, with Archer singing of his girlfriend's pregnancy test turning blue, skipping the train fare and running away from his fears with all the melodrama of a week with Pete Doherty. Unnecessary Trouble finds the punchy demeanour of Kasabian being fully realised, while the subdued piano of Move On Now is reminiscent of dispirited Richard Ashcroft after finding out the drugs don't work. While it's an acoustic twist away from frantic beats, the title track finale is perhaps the cleverest and most engaging tune on this preliminary collection, detailing the Big Brother society we now inhabit. His maternal loss may be currently weighing heavily upon his shoulders, but if Archer and his mates can keep it together, Hard-Fi have even better prospects than Bloc Party and The Futureheads.

The next big thing.......2006-03-20

Absolutely brilliant album.....not a bad track on it. Hard-Fi lyrics speak to the masses with an alternative sound that successfully mixes many genres (rock/pop/punk/regee) similar to last year's break out band The Killers. Definately a most played on my iPod.

Genuine West London Sound.......2006-03-17

I am crazy about all of the tracks in this CD. You will find an absolute harmony of beat, electronic guitar, melody, and rock vocal seldom found in today's alternative rock.

Average customer rating:

a good listen- potential for greatness
hard-fi is hard to beat =]
these guys blow away the arctic monkeys
Not a classic, but cool all the same
Screw the weekend, I'm living for Hard-fi.

Stars of CCTV
Hard-Fi
Manufacturer: Wea/Atlantic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Britpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Back Room
A Certain Trigger
You Could Have It So Much Better
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ASIN: B0009OU2M8
Release Date: 2005-07-18

Tracks:

Cash Machine
Middle Eastern Holiday
Tied Up Too Tight
Gotta Reason
Hard to Beat
Unnecessary Trouble
Move on Now
Better Do Better
Feltham Is Singing Out
Living for the Weekend
Stars of CCTV

Amazon.com

The debut album from Middlesex's Hard-Fi consciously sets out to update the sense of frustrated tension and suburban dread that powered second-wave ska acts like The Specials and The Beat back at the close of the `70s.

Don't get it twisted, this isn't ska-punk a la Brit troupers [Spunge] and Capdown: Hard-Fi play this music lean and moody, like The Streets on downers, or Massive Attack plugging in and tuning up. "Cash Machine" sees a swallowed debit card as the jump-off for vocalist Richard Archer to spin a tale of crushing poverty and unwanted pregnancy, spurred along by thrumming dub bass and the sad wheeze of a vibraphone. They do upbeat as well, as club anthem "Hard To Beat"--a heart-fluttering composite of Northern Soul elation and fist-pumping Rockers reggae--joyfully confirms. But it's the emotional struggle, the ups and downs of life, that keeps Stars Of CCTV engaging throughout: see penultimate track "Living For The Weekend", a hedonistic blast filled with not a little of the passion that fuelled Oasis' Definitely Maybe, which succeeds chiefly because it's all too aware of the bad times as well as the good. --Louis Pattison

Album Description

One of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year, Stars Of the CCTV is the acclaimed debut album from new British sensation Hard-Fi. Praised by NME as 'the album of the year', Stars Of The CCTV hit #1 on the UK charts and is heading towards double platinum status. The band has just picked up a pair of prestigious BRIT Awards nominations, and has been tearing up U.S. venues from coast to coast with their killer live show. Warner. 2006.

Album Details

The Long Awaited 2005 Debut Full Length from the Surrey Based Quartet that is Heavy on the Beat, Heavy on the Jagged Razor Guitars and Booming with Energy all Around. Includes the Singles "Cash Machine" and "Tied Up Too Tight".

Customer Reviews:

a good listen- potential for greatness.......2007-05-04

This was another blind purchase, a used disc at Soundgarden in Syracuse. I dug the cover art and the few seconds i had time to check out on the cd player were interesting enough. First listen through was in a car at low volume, and Hard-Fi sounded like another forgettable indie band. I gave it another shot at home though, remembering that it sounded decent at the record store, and found it to be a pretty enjoyable album. I don't know if i can vouch for their compositional abilities, but their attitude and the production are quite refreshing. This is exactly the kind of uber-new trend-pop that Urban Outfitters plays all day long, and at certain points during Stars of CCTV i couldnt help but squirm at the occasional new wave-hipster cliches. "Gotta Reason" struck me as way too derivative of the neo-disco flavor of the moment to be enjoyable on its own merits, with its "cool awkward" start-stop bassline and shouty lyrics.

You can't really blame a band for fitting into their own time though, and the crunchy, unpredictable production of this record overshadows its weaker aspects. As has been re-iterated over and over, Hard-Fi has adopted the same dub-influenced aesthetic as guys like the Clash and perhaps the Mars Volta, fusing jangly guitars and reverbed vocals with a wide stereo mix of feedback and other noises. I'm all for the jagged disco-punk thing, and when the band hits their stride on "Cash Machine" and "Hard to Beat" you can see why they have been hyped so much. The messy garage sound, the occasional helter skelter drum machine, and dominant blasts of guitar give them an irreverent, unconcerned sound that is subtly more honest in its rebellious debauchery than many of their peers. They actually sound like the 80s bands that all the hipsters are imitating, rather than an imitation. Their blue-collar lyrics are similar to those of Mike Skinner, and make for way better listening than the standard emo or nu-metal radio fare. No vocal melodies really grabbed me, and the songs themselves don't seem to push any boundaries compositionally; it's really their sound and attitude that makes this worth a spin.

About halfway through the record they seem to run out of ideas and move into an ill-advised piano ballad, that is totally unremarkable in every way, besides being the low point of the album. This is followed by another ill-advised pop tune that sounds a lot like Our Lady Peace. I have not listened to either of these songs all the way through, as either one has been basically recorded a thousand times by a hundred other bands. Things pick up a bit after this, but the first half of the album contains Hard-Fi at their best, with an eclectic mix of disco-rock stomp and even some filtered house music creeping in from leftfield.

I'm hoping these guys come into their own a little more with a sophomore effort, although this is a great debut that I imagine I will be returning to for a while. An even rawer, ballsier sound seems to be just around the corner, as if they maybe softened some edges somewhere along the way. I picture them taking the route TV on the Radio did with their second LP, throwing caution to the wind and letting their sound develop into its own beast.

hard-fi is hard to beat =].......2007-04-14

i love the band hard-fi!! they're from the UK, and most of the music i listen to is from the UK because they have such great music!! <3 i first heard their song on my friend's myspace. and i decided to check them out. i loveee the song "hard to beat"!! it's totally catchy and very original. the remix by axwell is also very great. i also love the song "gotta reason". if you like upbeat and happy yet great music to rock out to, this is for you!!

these guys blow away the arctic monkeys.......2007-04-10

this is a very good cd, that lives up to the hype, unlike the over rated wankers called the arctic monkeys. Some very catchy rock tunes here, and an awesome ballad 'move on now'......highly recommend......one of my top3 cd's of the past 7 yrs.....along with interpol's 1st cd...and the strokes 1st cd.

Not a classic, but cool all the same.......2006-08-09

Okay, this has come in for some slating in the reviews, but there's really some decent stuff here - Middle Eastern Holiday, Cash Machine, Living for the Weekend, Unnecessary Trouble - all rock. Problem is, not the entire album is to the same high standard - I'll only be keeping 6 out of the 11 tracks on my MP3 player! Okay, it's not grittily urban, but more commercial Indie rock, but if your bags thumping guitars and anthemic choruses, you won't go far wrong here.

Screw the weekend, I'm living for Hard-fi........2006-07-10

I first heard the Hard-fi single "Hard to Beat" on the local alt rock station somewhere in the territory of 2-3 a.m. I fell in love immediately and called the radio station to ask what it was. Later I heard "Cash Machine," another catchy single, and made the executive decision that even if all the other tracks were awful bits of fluff and filler, it would be worth it for those two songs. I picked up the CD at the bookstore last night, listened to it on the way home, put it on repeat overnight, and it's currently on its third play on my office computer (it's only 10:45 am - I don't plan on listening to anything else today).

I was pleased to find that all eleven tracks on "Stars of CCTV" are solid full-length songs - none of this filler spoken word sampled crap nonsense. Infectious grooves, hand claps and anthemic shouted choruses are found everywhere. Vaguely Any of the songs could be the next single - not the case with most albums. My personal favorites are "Hard to Beat," "Middle Eastern Holiday," "Tied Up Too Tight," and "Gotta Reason," but they're ALL good. Worth your while. I personally think they're better than the Arctic Monkeys.

Average customer rating:

Stars of Cctv

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000AAP7DA
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Album Description

Hard-fi are something entirely new, merging disco, punk and dub until they sound like the late seventies having a fight with itself. Drawing on their own experiences of the tedium and social alienation of living in a town like staines, keenly observed songs such as 'feltham is singing out' and the album's title tune all use a suburban backdrop to add weight to some pop epics.they're honest, they have integrity and they're not prepared to turn their back on the things which set them on the road to fame. 'Stars of cctv' deserves to make hard-fi the focus of some very widespread attention.

Average customer rating:

Stars of CCTV
Hard-Fi
Manufacturer: Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000AU1J2I
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Album Description

Japanese pressing features 1 bonus track. Details TBA. Atlantic. 2005.

Average customer rating:

Stars of Cctv+Cctversions

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000GALBRK
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Average customer rating:

STARS OF CCTV
London Suburb Kids Sound Off
If you want poetry....
Clash similarities, maybe, but.......ska......?
Your only payin for 2 songs!

Stars of Cctv

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00066FN9G
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Album Description

Stars Of CCTV is the debut album from Surrey-based Indie rockers Hard-Fi. Fusing together a host of influences, including Happy Mondays-esque baggy, sun kissed Ibizan grooves and even classic two-tone ska, Hard-Fi have crafted an album that buzzes with raw energy and enthusiasm, celebrating the best of British pop culture. Includes the singles 'Cash Machine', 'Tied Up Too Tight' and 'Hard To Beat'. Warner. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

STARS OF CCTV .......2006-03-29

With all the hype surrounding Arctic Monkeys, Editors, and even Hard-Fi, it's become apparent that the UK is swimming in musical talent while suffering from a paucity of A&R scouts. In a story that parallels the tale of Arctic Monkeys, Hard-Fi first released Stars of CCTV in a limited pressing of 500 in October 2004. It wasn't till June of the following year that a genuine label gave the album a proper release, and it's only recently hit stores in the US. Nevertheless, Hard-Fi are the closest thing to the only band that matter from the across the pond. The Clash reference is intentional. The foursome's fondness for reggae dub production and politically charged lyrics has garnered comparisons to the 2-Tone ska-loving Specials, and there is indeed a "Ghost Town" feel to a number of tracks here. But Hard-Fi's real lineage leads straight back to the post-punk Black Market Clash. Singer Richard Archer actually sounds like Mick Jones more often than he does Joe Strummer; still, he has a great guttersnipe delivery, and he's not afraid to use it, whether he's lamenting his financial situation against Kai Stephens's deep, driving Simonon-style bass line and Ross Philips's serrated staccato guitars in "Cash Machine" or putting himself in the shoes of a soldier headed to Iraq amid the brisk combat-rock clamor of "Middle Eastern Holiday." He shyly eyes a lucky club girl as the band funk things up for him in "Gotta Reason" and even croons to spare piano accompaniment in the melancholy "Move On Now" before heading back to rock the casbah in the self-explanatory "Living for the Weekend." It's timely reminder that once upon a time punk wasn't afraid to co-opt instead just being co-opted.

London Suburb Kids Sound Off.......2006-03-22

11 excellent tracks is what you get from a great debut album. Hard Fi are wonderful. The lead off track Cash Machine , Tied Up Too Tight, Hard To Beat, and Better Do Better are top of the charts singles.
Richard Archer's composer skills are not limited to these four songs. Hard Fi are a new band that has alot of promise with a vein that can be traced back such greats as The Jam , The Clash , and The Specials. Unnecessary Trouble track shows a great blend of these groups. This album will be a classic no matter how long the life of Hard Fi will be. A must buy . Hoping for alot more great music coming out of this band from the suburbs of London. Hard Fi are off to a very good start. Get this one now please.

If you want poetry...........2006-03-21

go & buy the collected works of Wordsworth - this is a busting-with-energy , fun , catchy rock album with some great songs - what more do you want ??!

Clash similarities, maybe, but.......ska......?.......2005-07-28

This album's shiite hot, a nice blend of dub-heavy bass, jagged guitars, bonham-kick drum and dancey synths (or maybe they're samples), all rolled into a decent pop tune. But check it out and make up your own mind. TISWAS thinks it's rubbish, I reckon it's pretty great, you decide for yourself.... regardless of whether or not you're a 13 year old girlie (last time I checked I wasn't - I was even allowed to tick the box below)

Your only payin for 2 songs!.......2005-06-05

After hearing the singles 'Cash Machine' and 'Tied up too tight' i started to get excited by this brilliant new band that has arrived called Hard-FI,worth buying the album i thought.I was wrong.This is a commercial Indie band aimed at 13 year olds with only 2 good songs on , the rest are average b- sides at best.Then theres 'Hard to Beat'. Well what can you say about this song.It has the worst lyrics i have ever heard in a song. Riddled with cliqued chart lyrics for commercial dance bands backed with a 90's dance beat to go with this sorry excuse of a sell out record.If you like your music with these lyrics in- "I know i love ya,just wanna touch ya"
"You knock me off my feet", "Lets spend the night together",and wait for it - "I have never known a night like this" then you will join the line with the rest of the teenage girl fraternity.