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Written by Joe Witthaus Wednesday, 14 July 2010 13:13

Hey Champ’s video is like watching a Lady Gaga dream laced with LSD.

 

If anything can be said about Chicago’s Hey Champ, it is that their reputation precedes them in almost every way. Sharing the stage with renowned acts such as Lupe Fiasco and The Sounds, Hey Champ have spent their first year as a group traveling across the globe and earning overnight success with little less than a single hit, “Cold Dust Girl.” With the release of their first record, Star, Hey Champ appears to be out to prove something in the music world—unfortunately, that something may have nothing to do with their music.

At the forefront of Star, Hey Champ displays their knack for electro-pop dance by opening with the extremely catchy “Shake.” What easily sounds like a b-side from The Killers’ Hot Fuss, “Shake” is a strong groove track that calls for toe-tapping and head-bobbing. Lead singer Saam Hagshenas’ vocals are a nice change of pace as well; a croon that knows when to relax and let the music take over but is always standing tall during the strong points of each track.

With well-organized rhythms compliments of bandmates Jon Marks (backing vocals and keys) and Pete Dougherty (keys and synths), Hagshenas is able to explore a vocal range not commonly heard in dance-influenced groups that play it safe by sticking to consistently upbeat tempos. In fact, Hagshenas often serves as the most memorable part of the album’s better half.

However, as Star continues to take the listener on a quasi-psychedelic trip that evokes thoughts of a hell bent journey for a discotheque full of beautiful women, the catchiness soon fades. As all three members of the Wind City trio feel the need to play synthesizers in the group, the latter half of Star becomes audibly confusing. As Hagshenas’ voice falls to the wayside with subpar lyrics, the keyboard solos appear around every corner, but often continue for so long that the listener is sure to lose interest.

Despite several listens to what may have made the cut five years ago in the pop scene, Star never seemed to get any better past the first five tracks. Even when things look up, namely in the guitar-heavy finale “Steampunk Camelot,” a two-plus-minute outro that seems to echo a bad Flock of Seagulls impression ruins any hopes of a strong finish for Hey Champ’s debut.

Despite the shortcomings of Star, Hey Champ might soon find their niche with college crowds across the U.S. as the band exhibits exceptional live performances that scream “Party!” Even if the band’s in-person prowess fails to catch the attention of the common listener, their oddly conceived music videos just may do the trick. To offer the shortest, yet most comprehensible synopsis, Hey Champ has embraced the avant- garde trend sweeping the club scene in the video for their latest single, “Neverest.” The premise of the video finds the band trapped in glass triangles fully equipped with instruments as exotic, topless women dance around a cloaked figure biting into a piece of black fruit while their breasts morph into dolphin heads. In other words, Hey Champ’s video is like watching a Lady Gaga dream laced with LSD.

If Hey Champ would have spent that extra time focusing as hard on Star, then a truly great dance album may have found its way into stereos everywhere this summer. Unfortunately, a half-rate album that will soon be forgotten is now available in stores. B- | Joe Witthaus

RIYL: Men, Women and Children; The Killers’ Hot Fuss; old-school Devo.