Search - Hefner :: Dead Media

"Let?s hope that they don?t stay like this."

P. Shamdasani | Hong Kong | 04/10/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Following their singles collection We Love the City, Hefner have struck back with their fifth album in four years in Dead Media, which hears them slow down the hard indie-rock that dominated the fantastic Fidelity Wars, sounding more like Belle & Sebastian than the Gomez-esque music they normally aim for - which, as a matter of fact, is an interesting change. Filling their latest studio recording with keyboards, synthesizers and turntables, the album has taken a turn for the better, harkening back to their debut days in Breaking God's Heart, with the experimental sounds playing in a fast-slow order of tracks. The album opens with the titular "Dead Media", a sublimely brief tune that mixes electronica with traditional 90's Brit-pop. "Trouble Kid" follows, a track that answers the question of what would happen if a DJ remixed a song by the 70's punk band The Stooges. With Velvet Underground inspirations on songs like "Junk", "China Crisis" and the whimsical "The Nights Are Long", the band seems to have tried their hand at homage's of groups that have influenced them, with many of the other tunes resonating the riffs of R.E.M., Elvis and The Dandy Warhols. But the whole album isn't filled with such remarkable reverence - the one-minute long "Union Chapel Day" plays out like it was taken straight from the `80s, while the same-length "Treacle" aims for a DJ-esque tune but fails miserably, ending with a terrible five-second radio scratching. While die-hard fans will no doubt either ignore or despise this recording, casual listeners will surely benefit from Hefner's change - but let's hope that they don't stay like this."