A - 'Hi-Fi Serious' (London)
4/5
By: Matt Tomiak
We think it's fair to say you should forget the sub-Linkin Park silliness of 'Nothing', the first single to be taken from this album. After all, when comparing it with the other wealth of new material on-show, it is mere irrelevance in a record of otherwise gigantic proportions.
Whether it's via 'Something's Going On', three of the sweetest minutes of pop-punk you're ever likely to hear, or on the 'Pop Idol'-baiting 'Took It Away', or even within Jason Perry's hilarious battle-of-the-sexes lyrical gems from 'Shut Yer Face', A's third LP proper is guaranteed to reward you a smile.
Part of the reason music-fans have the potential to firmly grasp this record more-so than any of the band's past recordings is because it's simply their most complete work to date - almost enough to make it hard not to fall in love with A.
You see, even when they strike up the sheer gall of '6 O'clock On A Tube Stop' ('6 O'clock on a tube stop/Waiting for a subway train'), a cheeky tribute to The Jam's 'Down at the Tube Station at Midnight', its Weller-esque force and urgency is still never detracted. 'The Springs', meanwhile, is reminiscent of 'Hoppus Jonus Fang', a laid-back track from previous album, 'Monkey Kong', in which Jason contemplates a 'move to California' in order to 'sell a million albums'.
Well, with the stealth of work such as this, it looks like those dreams he once sang of might finally come true.
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