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Hammer No More the Fingers - Looking For Bruce
| Prefixmag |
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Remember when the Toadies were all the rage and Matt Pinfield’s wealth of music knowledge was still wowing MTVers all across the nation? So do the members of Hammer No More the Fingers. Allegedly playing together since they were 10, the three members of this Durham, N.C., outfit make college rock like it’s still 1994. Utilizing a simple bass, guitar, drum and vocal format, the tracks off of the band's debut, Looking for Bruce, are melodious and energetic, but they're often too stale for their own good. The hooks on Looking for Bruce are solid, the band is tight, and the energy is unwavering. Its main dilemma is a general lack of ingenuity. We’ve heard all this before. Think Harvey Danger, the Presidents of the United States of America, or any other array of bands that debuted on Alternative Nation or 120 Minutes when MTV was still showcasing music. ...full text |
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| Indyweek |
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With its seven contagious college rock anthems, Hammer No More The Fingers' self-titled, cheaply made 2007 debut EP scored the Durham power trio some minor blog buzz. Anticipation for the band's first full-length peaked anew when word spread that Jawbox frontman J. Robbins would produce the follow-up. Truth is, the Baltimore producer wasn't altogether necessary: Far from reinventing the band or its sound, Looking for Bruce instead finds Hammer rehashing and sharpening the strengths of its rookie release. That's certainly not a knock on Bruce, since the three-piece operates with preternatural efficiency and precision here, managing to make its taut machinery sound effortless and unrehearsed. Duncan Webster's melodies yo-yo alongside his elastic bass lines, and Joe Hall's limber guitar riffs spill over Jeff Stickley's economical drumming. Much like Hammer's debut, consistency defines Looking for Bruce, meaning each song is as immediate as the last: Lead single "Shutterbug," which Webster wrote and performed in Mumu Worthy with Jesse Smith, his NYC roommate-turned-girfriend-turned-ex, now rides a warped chug-and-jangle. What was once a song to be sung together by a couple sounds like a gnarled philippic among bros these days, harmonies and angular guitars lashing against one another. "Radiation," one of the record's best moments, encapsulates all of that in just over four minutes: The tension of spiky guitar and soaring vocals gives way to the loose bounce of bass percolations and a hi-hat shuffle in the chorus. Webster and Hall chant the title during the bridge—rearranging its four syllables into an insistent six, howling "Ray-dee-ay-dee-ay-tion" in harmony—before launching into a pair of edgy guitar miniatures....full text |
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| Churchkeyrecords |
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Fresh press for HNMTF (updated 4/30): Looking For Bruce review from the News & Observer Looking For Bruce review from the Fire Note (rated 4/5: "Blazing Hot") Live performance recorded at NBC 17's "Sessions at Studio B" Live review: HNMTF with Superchunk (The Daily Tar Heel) Live review: HNMTF with Superchunk (The Independent Weekly) Looking For Bruce review from the Independent Weekly Looking For Bruce review from BitWorks music HNMTF story from the Independent Weekly Viking Storm preview, from the Duke Chronicle Viking Storm preview, from UNC's Daily Tar Heel Review of Looking For Bruce from the Daily Tar Heel 4.5 out of 5 stars! Following up on the success of their debut EP, Hammer No More The Fingers have recently completed their first full-length album, Looking For Bruce. Recorded by J. Robbins at Magpie cage in Baltimore, the new album will be released by Churchkey Records on April 7 2009. Then they'll take over the world, one town at a time. What people are saying about Hammer No More The Fingers: "See the simple energy at "Fall Down, Play Dead"'s close? That's what we're talking about: College rock in that best old-school, early '90s sense, though it goes some place else with it, too." - Stereogum.com - Band To Watch "Surrounded by the crowd, the band seemed almost like prophets revealing some hidden truth to its audience. It was an incredibly intimate moment and perfect ending to the best show I've seen all year." - The Daily Tar Heel...full text |
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