Mind Chaos is a debut littered with hit songs. In fact, the album was already pretty damn good when Portland-based foursome Hockey initially self-released it as an EP in 2008. But after getting picked up by Capitol Records, Mind Chaos was remixed, remastered, and rounded out with several new songs for its major label re-release this Tuesday, October 6.
Post-punk strut with an electro disco swagger, the music on Mind Chaos is made for dancing with too cool ‘tude. Hockey singer Ben Grubin’s smokey growl oozes Rod Stewart sexiness and he delivers his verses with cocky ease, from his back-and-forth with himself in the snotty opener, “Too Fake,” to his blasé weariness in the supple grooves of “Work,” to his flippant spoken word lyricism in the lively “3AM Spanish,” to his unselfconscious wish in “Wanna Be Black,” to his howling and crooning soulfulness in “Curse This City.”
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 7, 2009.