If you were unfamiliar with A's pre-'Hi-Fi Serious' CV (and there's quite a few of you) you'd be forgiven for concluding that Britain's answer to the US rock invasion were nothing more than a cynical marketing ploy. Not so.
We've only got ourselves to blame for largely ignoring them first and second time around ('How Ace Are Buildings' and 'Monkey Kong'). We exiled them to sunnier climes and who would blame them for staying away after being roundly snubbed at home despite a fervent if niche following. Third time lucky and you'd be a fool to ignore this early candidate for rock album of the year.
So what's changed? Rock is pretty popular if you hadn't noticed but there's more to it than that. Fundamentally A have toned down their buffoonery (to a degree) and produced their most honed and powerful album to date.
The supersonic paced, rocket-fuelled romp of 'Hi-Fi Serious' surely exceeds its EU quota of riffs, harmonies and melodies. They're also spoiling us with 12 potential singles that ricochet around your skull.
'Something's Going On', '6 O'clock', 'Took It Away' and the title track let rip with blow after blow. 'Starbucks' will surely do for A what 'Buck Rodgers' did for Feeder last year and 'Shut Yer Face' makes some hilarious genre comments while simultaneously cramming all your air guitar needs into one handy track. 'Took It Away' takes a sly dig at mediocrity while featuring some schizophrenic electronic effects. Even the slowie, 'The Springs', is bravely promoted rather than being anonymously buried.
'Hi-Fi Serious' is far more than a US rock pastiche or one-dimensional rock album. A have evolved into an English Blink 182 or The Police with a preference for power chords fronted by a raspy voiced hyperactive loon. More importantly though, A are an English rock band not afraid to take risks or their maintain self-belief. It's a gamble that's paid off.
A are about to explode on a global scale. And that includes their home country this time!
