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Hefner is a Scottish trio led by singer and songwriter Darren Hayman.
They play folk-pop with the casual, eccentric tone of the
Violent Femmes, and Hayman's voice occasionally
sounds like Gordon Gano.
The singles A Better Friend (Boogle Wonderland, 1997),
Lee Remick (Boogle Wonderland, 1998),
Pull Yourself Together (Too Pure, 1998)
and the songs of the
EP The Hefner Soul (Too Pure, 1998), including
More Christian Girls and A Hymn for the Coffee,
displayed enough melodic talent to compete with the overrated Brit-pop of the
time.
Breaking God's Heart (Too Pure, 1998) contains a few of their classics:
Love Will Destroy us in the End, The Sweetness Lies Within,
The Librarian and A Hymn for the Postal Service.
Harmonica, organ, horns and a female co-singer enhance the sound of
The Fidelity Wars (Too Pure, 1999). Two more "hymns"
(Hymn For The Cigarettes, Hymn For The Alcohol)
and a few passionate stories
(Don't Flake Out On Me, Every Little Gesture,
I Took Her Love for Granted )
continue the saga of Hayman.
Boxing Hefner (Too Pure, 2000) collects singles and rarities.
We Love The City (Too Pure, 2000) is a concept album dedicated to the
city of London. The theme of urban life (for better and worse) permeates
the ditties We Love The City, The Great London Radio,
The Greedy Ugly People, Good Fruit, that swing between
early Kinks and late Beach Boys.
But the music tends to be generically melodic,
to the expense of the rural eccentricity of the beginnings.
Dead Media (Too Pure, 2001) harks back to 1980s' synth-pop but
is equally uninspired.
Catfight (2006) collects early Hefner singles.
Jack Hayler of Heffner debuted solo with the spartan folk ballads of
Practical Wireless (Absolutely Kosher, 2002).
Stereo Morphofonium is Darren Hayman's electronic side project.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Marco Spagnuolo)
Gli Hefner sono un trio guidati dal cantante e compositore Darren Hayman. Suonano folk-pop ma con il piglio eccentrico e casuale dei ben piu’ importanti Violent Femmes, e la voce di Hayman, in alcune circostanze , si avvicina a quella di Gordon Gano. I singoli A Better Friend (Boogle Wonderland, 1997), Lee Remick (Boogle Wonderland, 1998), Pull Yourself Together (Too Pure, 1998) e le canzoni dell’ EP The Hefner Soul (Too Pure, 1998), incluse More Christian Girls e A Hymn for the Coffee, mostravano una discreta dose di talento melodico, quanto basta per poter competere con il sopravvalutato Brit-pop dell’epoca.
Breaking God's Heart (Too Pure, 1998) contiene alcuni dei loro classici: Love Will Destroy us in the End, The Sweetness Lies Within, The Librarian e A Hymn for the Postal Service.
Armonica, organo, corni e una seconda voce ma stavolta femminile, rafforzano il sound di The Fidelity Wars (Too Pure, 1999). I due"inni" (Hymn For The Cigarettes, Hymn For The Alcohol) e un po’ di storie appassionate (Don't Flake Out On Me, Every Little Gesture, I Took Her Love for Granted ) permisero di continuare la saga di Hayman.
Boxing Hefner (Too Pure, 2000) raccoglie singoli e rarita’.
We Love The City (Too Pure, 2000) e’ un concept album dedicato alla citta’ di Londra. Il tema della vita urbana(nel bene e nel male) pervade all’interno di canzonette come We Love The City, The Great London Radio, The Greedy Ugly People, Good Fruit, che si destreggiano tra i primi Kinks e gli ultimi Beach Boys. Tuttavia la musica tende ad essere melodica, a spese della eccentricita’ rurale degli inizi.
Dead Media (Too Pure, 2001) ci riporta indietro al synth-pop degli anni ’80, ugualmente senza idee.
Catfight (2006) raccoglie i primi singoli degli Hefner.
Jack Hayler, membro degli Hefner, debutta con il suo album solista, una raccolta di spartane ballate folk, Practical Wireless (Absolutely Kosher, 2002).
Stereo Morphofonium e’ il side-project di stampo elettronico di Hayman.
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