Hedroom

I finally have it in my grubby little mitts – the self titled debut album from the Thame based Rock band that is Hedroom. You probably will have seen the band on Scuzz or MTV2 at some stage or another with their video for first single ‘Morning Wood.’ If you are a regular visitor to Alt-UK then you will have probably read my ‘Skunkmonks’ review a while back – an EP from the band featuring the track ‘Morning Wood.’ I was not at all pleased with that track, but loved the rest of the EP, and luckily – this album is mainly like the EP taking a more Rock approach rather than a Ska-Pop one.

This album is 12 tracks strong, the only glitch in it for me being the quite dreadful ‘Morning Wood.’ The band have really come a long way since the days of their ‘Skunkmonks’ EP and the quality of their music has really improved in the way that they create exciting Rock music that will get your juices flowing and get you singing along. The album actually features a re-recorded version of the fantastic EP title track ‘Skunkmonks’ and even this song sounds a lot more mature now that it has been redone and this is a fine example of how far they have come since the early days. Their sound has grown up a lot since those days and they are really taking a far more mature approach to their music and I think that the result is a lot better than it ever was or could have been back in the days of ‘Skunkmonks.’ They are no longer just another teen band, they are far more than that with their intelligent lyrics, neat musical solos, and superior song writing ability. They just seem like a completely different band than they use to be and I far prefer this new Hedroom to be honest.

‘Cap’n Pimp’ is one of my favourite songs on this CD with its awesome kick off of instrumental heaven, which leads you into their great vocal styling. There are some sturdy bass lines in this track, great guitar riffs, some absolutely amazing drum beats, and vocals that will have you gasping for breath. I really loved this track and felt that it was extremely well written with everything on it really fitting together perfectly to make a song of absolute bliss. Hedroom really are a band of amazing musicians who have a fine ear for great Rock music with all 5 of them putting in a great deal of this 12 track album effort. Another good effort on this CD is the crazy tune of ‘Is that all.’ It really is a blinder and features some great sax notes as well as the usual steaming guitar lines, rumbling bass lines, crazy drum beats, and slick vocal styling. It has quite a relaxed feel to it as it is a lot slower than their tunes usually are, but still this tune easily keeps the momentum going and leaves you feeling well and truly satisfied at the end of it all.

So, this debut album from the Thame based Rock band that is Hedroom certainly does not disappoint, and if you have any sense whatsoever it should leave you with a smile on your face from ear to ear. This is music to be proud of from the band and will have all those Scuzz fans out there realising that ‘Morning Wood’ is not the only thing that they can do and hopefully people will give the band a bit of credit for their efforts here as it shows that they are not just going to be another one hit wonder band – by the sounds of things Hedroom are here to stay for a long while yet.

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Ok – here is a 4 track EP from Oxfordshire’s Hedroom with their style fusing Funk, Rap Metal, Ska and Hip Hop. If you have not heard of this band then you’ve had your eyes closed because this band has just embarked on a mammoth UK tour of their Morning Wood single (started in February – ends 2nd of August at The Victoria Inn, also playing are No Comply.)

This little CD kicks off with track, ‘skunkmonks,’ a cool little tune with awesome vocals. It’s a good track to kick off the EP with I feel because its not the best track on here but by all means it is not the worst and is a cool tune that grabs your attention and keeps you listening. Actually, they could have picked any of the songs on here because none of them are rubbish – they all have a certain degree of quality about them. Take this one for example, the guitar and bass playing is good, the drumming is superb, the vocals are sublime, and there’s a nice little sax ending which sounds pretty ace – what more could you ask for?! This little saxy ending leads on to the next track, the critically acclaimed ‘morning wood.’ Ok, I’ve heard tracks like this before many a time – yes it’s cheesy, yes it’s inoffensive and that’s exactly why it’s done the job in getting them some serious media attention. If bands like Whitmore do it then why shouldn’t anyone else eh… Even though it did annoy me I did find myself humming it after listening to it so there you go – its certainly one to get people wondering who the band is – has definitely served its purpose.

Right, with track 3, ‘in da cell’ the standard seems to have upped the standards and is an excellent song. The rapping style vocals work really well – with their Zack De La Rocha styling and when the chorus comes through it is extremely powerful and you’re really not expecting it. There is some good drumming on this one I noticed and like I said – the vocals are extremely strong. Ok, the last track on this EP is ‘W.D.M.C’ and this is by far my favourite track on the whole CD as it is a really laid back song which I just found appealed to my taste with its Ska feel with great Sax playing and again great vocals. The band seem to have really found their feet with this track as it is superb and has much flare.

So here you have it, here is a four track EP from the Thame bases Ska, Funk, Hip Hop, Rap Metal fusion band that is hedroom and has three class tracks (skunkmonks, in da cell, and W.D.M.C) and one Ska-Pop song that really didn’t appeal to my taste but is sure to appeal to many other peoples tastes as it is catchy, uobeat and full of rhythm.

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