Eamon Blog
Today's Shelf Pull: Hard-Fi, Stars of CCTV
Small margins, big choruses, and somewhere to put the frustration.
Money, work and the promise of a weekend supply the subject matter; clipped rhythms and generous choruses give it somewhere to go.
Hard-Fi make everyday pressure move on Stars of CCTV. The album has money worries, working hours and the promise of escape in its sights, but it rarely stands still long enough to become a lecture. There is usually a rhythm getting on with things.
For today's vinyl selection in Listowel, that balance is the attraction. These are songs with something weighing on them and enough lift to carry it. The guitars keep their statements brief, while the choruses offer rather more room than the circumstances described in the verses.
Released in 2005, Stars of CCTV belongs to a particular British indie moment without needing that moment explained before it works. Listen for the difference between the conversational delivery and the bigger refrains. The change in scale does much of the emotional work.
Cash Machine starts the eleven-song sequence with a clipped pulse and financial anxiety. It is a useful introduction to the record's priorities: a recognisable problem, an economical arrangement, and movement where resignation might have been the easier option.
