In the war between analog and digital, few bands occupy a space at the frontline and remain as unknown and recondite as the boys in Hefner.
The anti-pop, lo-fi ethos held by Hefner - Darren Haymen, vocals, guitar; Antony Harding, drums, vocals; John Morrison, bass; Jack Hayter, pedal steel, violin, etc. - seems more of a celebration of their shadowy demographic than a complaint to "The Man" about who got a larger cash cookie.
Hefner's members, as soldiers of the analog encampment, are equipped to the brim with tools of the grassroots electronic perspective. Hefner's latest major release, Dead Media, serves as testament to the previously mentioned politics of sound, as well as a weird type of London-based process of individuation.
As far from pop-culture as the content of Hefner's songs seem to be, the music itself really is not. Within Hefner's songs are creative formulas and musical structures that are commonly used by industry acts such as N'Sync and Britney Spears. But with lyrics such as "I feel like giving up, we feel like giving up, I feel like giving up all the time," and a slew of vintage synthesizers and recording techniques that Spears' producer wouldn't look twice at, Heifer marks its territory well. I mean Hefner.
However, Hefner does not limit itself to old synths. Many of its songs include guitar and some also add a violin. This provides some contrast to its electronic core and gives immediacy to the artist that is difficult to obtain with electronic instruments. When Hefner employs guitars, lap steel and violin, the band always seems to go in the Rolling Stones direction, with some degree of success. But no one plays like the Rolling Stones, except, guess who? That's right, Hefner, the Rolling Stones. I recommend either putting down the guitars and the semi-fabricated swank attitude or picking up a few girls and a drug habit.
Ironically enough, the music Dead Media reminds me of most, without regard to lyrical content, is Dr. Dre's work on The Chronic. This is due to the prominence of the bassline in both types of music, which also is noted by Haymen - Hefner's principle songwriter - in reference to the song "Can't Help Losing You."
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"This uses a pretty common Hefner arrangement trick, which is to have almost every instrument playing the bassline," he said.
This feature, in combination with the drum machines, can give the music a feeling somewhat akin to west coast rap.
The tone of Dead Media, as a whole, is far from anything resembling The Chronic. Hefner's pure idiosyncratic sense and jovial, self-depreciating indie emotive trademark periodically brew up passionate and revealing work. At best, Hefner is spontaneous and humorous, with a harmonic clarity and color scheme that is detailed and expressive - revealing insights on the nature of interpersonal relationships, the soul, art and the government. At worst, Hefner is flagrant, masturbatory and blind - indulging in mantras of self-pity, compositions that are confused and bumbling, and ideas that are expressed without enough attention paid to them beforehand.
Sometime, if you feel like listening to some pretty strange and entertaining music, Hefner may be your bet. I honestly don't think that I will be listening to the CD for a while.
