Artist: Five O'Clock Heroes
Album: Bend To the Breaks
Label: Glaze Records
Release Date: September 18th, 2007

I can't tell you how much I needed to get this record. I've been listening to and reviewing a seemingly endless series of shoegazey-type boys without a testicle between them. The Five O'Clock Heroes produce good old rock and roll with every bass note, guitar chord, and drum thump as real as real can get.

Some mention the Strokes and Franz Ferdinand when talking about Five O'Clock Heroes but what immediately sprang to my mind was the power pop era of the late '70s and early '80s: the Romantics, the Beat, the Plimsouls, Shoes, Elvis Costello, all incredibly good stuff, and very refreshing to hear in this age of complete pretension.

The band formed in 2003 and is composed of erstwhile New Yorkers and UK transplants. They recorded the album in the studio of former Smashing Pumpkin, James Iha. The songs are earnest and irony-free and they fuckin' rock. The first half of the album is very strong and I felt a little spoiled by the riches of having 13 tracks (dole out a little less next time lads). Favorites of mine: "Head Games", "Want Your Number", "Good Lovers", "Corporate Boys", and pretty much at least every other song.

Five O'Clock Heroes completed a huge round of touring Europe this summer - I can't wait for them to hit the road again and head West, you should be so eager.

Five O'Clock Heroes- "Skin Deep"


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