High School Football Heroes
Close Only Counts in Horseshoe

I first heard the High School Football Heroes this summer, and was blown away by the few tracks that the band had up on MySpace. When I checked them out at The Space in Hamden, I was even more impressed. The band has this odd combination of being both professional and personable that really shows in their music. To classify the High School Football Heroes into a genre would be impossible, as they combine ska with punk and emo to turn out a unique and energetic style heard nowhere else. This full-length release, “Close Only Counts in Horseshoes & Hand Grenades” really hit all my expectations and really shows what HSFH is all about.

From the kick-off track, “Beat of a Rhythmless Drum,” you can feel the energy of the CD in the fast pace, powerful horn lines, and solid rhythm section. The Football Heroes make this song complicated and complex, but not so much that the listener loses the catchy horn hooks, vocals, and guitar parts. The quality of the recording is impeccable, as nothing sticks out, but you can concentrate on any one aspect of the balance and the instrument jumps right out at you. In the second track, “Lost Generation,” you start to hear the clever vocals of the three singers of the band, and also the mixture of styles. It starts off with a fast paced and tight punk verse, but then soon enough blends into a half-tempo ska beat. This trend continues throughout the song, eventually getting to a section with vocal harmonies, trombone, keyboard, and an overall groove found only in the tightest of ska bands. Sometimes the vocals or horn lines miss their mark slightly, but always quickly recover and do something to make up for the mistake. When the track pauses and the vocalists sing “And I’m not leaving ‘til I get what I need,” I almost cream my pants every time. There are even sax runs in the song to make it almost seamless and near perfect. The third tune, “Subjects of Sin” has amazing and creative horn parts, which are throughout the disc, but also has energetic vocals and a breakdown that makes you bang your head every time. “Believer” continues this trend of energy and an awesome blend of high-paced punk and ska to keep you bouncing. In this track, there’s even a section that breaks down into a vocal solo that gradually fades out to my favorite track on the album. “A Long Look At A Short Lived Dream” combines heartfelt lyrics, high-paced and catchy horn lines and a danceable groove to make it one of my favorite songs of any local band. The song stops momentarily with a vocal one-liner, but flows right back into the chorus, and then into a horn section that would make any musician giggle with delight. Awesome. The next two tracks, “A Golden Future” and “An Aluminum Past” go hand in hand, as they are both under two minutes long and flow really well into each other. Even though the tune changes, the lyric melodies and driven tempos solidify them and even blend them into the next track, “No Better Time Than Then.” I love the horn line in this song, as usual, and when it gets into its ska section, the drummer plays exceptionally fast and clean. This is another trend throughout the disc – really awesome and tight drums, guitar, and bass. They’re incorporated so fluidly that it’s easy to forget about them, but they deserve credit. Kudos.

“This Is A Warning” almost serves as a wake-up call if you were even thinking about turning off the CD midway through, as HSFH doesn’t relent, and every track is as good as the previous one. The longest track on the CD, “Black and Red” at 3:18 is pretty slow paced for HSFH, and there are a few small vocal hiccups, but the fast and articulate horn line and sax solos really compliment this slow style. Even though this is probably my least favorite track on the album, I’d still listen to it on repeat and not mind one bit. Coming out of this slow tempo, the band picks it up with “Keep(Drunk)(Stab),” but then it slows back down again with more emo-esque lyrics, proving again how multi-faceted this disc is. Almost at the very end of this disc is another favorite of mine, “24:10,” which stays pumping and poppy for its 1:58 duration. I only wish it was longer to hear its horn hook one more time – it’s addictive. The disc rounds out with “A Failed Attempt To Make My Head Spin Slower.” I love the lyrics, so we’ll end it with a quote. “Losers always make a better winner in the end. But, when I came out on top, I was nothing special – I guess I was a winner all along.”

This release, “Close Only Counts in Horseshoes & Hand Grenades” is professional, precise and catchy, and really embodies what the High School Football Heroes are all about. As you can hear on the disc, these guys are gonna go far. HSFH frequents the Connecticut area, so you should have no problem picking up a disc from them personally. If not, visit their website and pick it up via either InterPunk or CDBaby – it’s not something you’ll want to miss.

Reviewed By:  Todd Springer

Date:  Sat 2 Sep 06

Score:  9.0

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