Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Once the winners of several “Best New Band of 1985” accolades, Philadelphia’s The Hooters continue to prove that they’re a cut above the new wave pop-tarts they were unfairly lumped in with at the time with their new self-released EP, “5X5.” The album continues the roots-inflected, sweetly melodic songwriting vision of chief scribes Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman.
On “5X5,” The Hooters visit a varying landscape of stylistic nuances, all the while maintaining, as they’d say, the “Hooterization.” The band, and its longtime associations with decidedly non-rock instrumentation such as mandolin, melodica and recorder (an accordion has reared its head on occasion as well) has made The Hooters somewhat pioneers from the beginning in adding Americana flavor to the pop/rock realm. The Hooters toast their devout German fanbase on “5X5” (Germany remains a hotbed of Hooter fandom, with the band playing festivals in Deutschland each summer) with the uber-catchy German-lyric power-pop of “Pissing In The Rhine,” a swooning, sunshine-infused Beatles-esque romp in “Silver Lining” and a driving, infectious electric spin on the Hyman co-penned Cyndi Lauper classic “Time After Time,” a recent staple of the band’s combustible live show.
The EP was recorded at Hyman’s own Elm Street Studios in Conshohocken, Pa., in collaboration with producer Nick Jameson, a studio vet of esteemed recording halls like Bearsville in upstate New York. With Jameson, the vibe captured is pure musical vitality and creative zen. While the over-the-top “And We Danced”-type fare has long since been traded for a more stripped-down, bare-bones approach (check out the haunting minimalism of Bazilian’s take on his own “One Of Us,” a 1995 hit he wrote for Joan Osborne), the passion is fully intact, and the band seems more self-assured then ever in its delivery. Taking a cue from the lyrics to the EP’s tongue-in-cheek closer “Really Fine Wine,” some things really do get better with age.
Through unadulterated songwriting muscle, the band nails all-encompassing humanistic thoughtfulness within its lyrics, while tickling your musical funny bone through razor-sharp attention to melody and superb musicianship. As the band celebrates its 30th anniversary, it continues to inspire and hit us with positivity and high-quality ear candy.
Rating: W W W W