Search - Hefner :: Boxing Hefner: Singles Collection

For fans of Modern Lovers

zlh | San Mateo, CA United States | 09/15/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Christian Girls should be kept pristine and totally devoid of pain, I can't hold back the rain , the dirty, dirty rain." I'm a huge fan of Hefner's debut album, Breaking God's Heart, but was a bit let down by their second effort, The Fidelity Wars. Boxing Hefner returns to form with twelve rare and unreleased tracks from these lovelorn uber-geeks. "Christian Girls" is the song that convinced Too Pure to sign Hefner in the first place -- a hysterical take on religious purity presented, true to form, with its sexuality on its sleeves. Highlights include a mesmerizing John Peel performance of "The Science Fiction" and the band's traditional closing number at shows, "Twisting Mary's Arm." Throughout, Darren Hayman's cracked, plaintive vocals are reminiscent of white suburbanite Mark Robinson attempting black soul on early Unrest albums, or perhaps more directly, Jonathan Richman singing to his Boston girlfrens with the Modern Lovers. In fact, one of the strongest performances on Boxing Hefner is "To Hide A Little Thought," which rescues Richman's poignant relationship confessional from the now out-of-print You Must Ask the Heart. With hook upon hook and energy to spare, Hefner take Richman's themes from the New England bars to the UK pubs. For wimpy suburban boys everywhere."

The Hymn For A Classic Album

myfly | 04/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a collection of rare and unreleased hefner songs. The album starts off with two of the best hefner songs i've ever heard (Christian Girls & Lee Remick). I first heard Christian Girls on the rare 10inch Ep 'The Hefner Soul', which also includes 'The Hymn For The Coffee' also included on this album. The 'Christian Girls' included on this album is a new reworked version which was recentley released as a single. The album also includes 'Twisting Mary's Arm' which the band finish all their shows with, and said they would never recored."

Essential Hefner

Helena | Stockholm, Sweden | 06/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A sure sign of a band's excellence is making b-sides that are just as good - or indeed better - as the actual single. Judging from the impact Boxing Hefner has had on me in the relative short time I've owned it, Hefner are right up there with The Smiths, Belle & Sebastian et al. Darren Hayman's sometimes painfully personal lyrics and his soulful, admittedly not perfect vocals never cease to intruige och move me. As for the tunes, they're perfect bittersweet gems that at least I find impossible to resist. Songs like Pull Yourself Together, the previously unreleased The Science Fiction and Lee Remick surely prove that there is still hope for Britain's indie scene. If there is any justice in the world, this will be Hefner's proper breakthrough."