Fire Hydrant: Better Late Than Never

I recently picked up a CD by a new Toronto band called Fire Hydrant. 'Better Late Than Never' is a highly infectious collection of alt-rock tunes, some of which I dare you to get out of your head after one listen. Immediately, the vocals are likely to remind most people of 54-40's Neil Osbourne. But repeated listenings reveal that there is so much more going on. One would think that certain musical styles do not belong together, but these guys manage to meld them with great success. For example, the song 'Blue' has a sort-of Nirvana-ness to it, but imagine if drummer Dave Grohl was replaced by Jon Brookes of The Charlatans. Shouldn't work? Well, it does; and it does so triumphantly! That song is immediately followed by 'Fire In The Basement', which opens with a pounding sort of tribal beat, is joined in by slightly surf-style guitar playing, and than the vocals come in sounding like an angsty Andrew Cash! This album seems simple, but it's the subtle varieties that are engaging enough to make any music lover return to it again and again. People owe it to themselves to purchase this CD. One more thing: 'Robots For Dinner' may just be one of the catchiest songs of the year.

Downloads:
Robots For Dinner mp3
Fractured Mind mp3

Check out their myspace page here.
Purchase their CD here.