the Hefners - "Repop!"
Middle Class Pig
Records
Well, The Hefners have a new CD. It's called Repop!, and I know the question
that has to be answered first is: "Is it as good as their last one?"
The answer? Way better. Much as I liked Lay Off..., this new effort is more
polished and better recorded. There's actually a low end to this
record, rather than the tweeter-destroying sound that predominated The
Hefners' previous release.
And the songs... oh, the songs... man, this record stayed in my truck's
CD player for three straight nights. I listened to nothing else while I
was at work.
The opener, "Up In My Room," starts the album off with a head-wagging,
hip-shaking, rev-up complete with harmonica.
However, while there are the fair share of hit-and-run tunes, like
their first CD, the Hefners hit some slower material on Repop!, and it certainly helps to
round out their sound.
"Lost Weekend" and a cover of the Kinks' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else"
are two of the standout slower tunes. "Spanish Ramada" should become an
instant slow-dance classic, and makes a great companion piece to
"Short-Haired Girls," as they make for opposite sides of the coin of
longing and lust.
However, it's looking at the album as a whole that really works here.
Individually, nearly every song could be a college radio single, but
it's the fact that Repop! is
solid from start to finish, with a total lack of filler that makes this
CD stand out from the pack.
Recording live to 2-track was certainly a perfect decision for the
band, making for a full sound, letting all of the instruments equal in
the mix, rather then the keyboard being front and center. Granted,
Bryce's keyboard work is still what makes the Hefners' sound what it
is. But the guitars, bass, and drums all get equal time on this
release, and that's why the whole album ranks as one of the better
local albums to come out in a long while.
Repop! is finely crafted – it
flows from fast to slow, from lyrical to instrumental, without any
oddities or irregularities, and not a single wasted track. A fine piece
of work.