American Hi-Fi The Art of Losing
‘We’re the kids in America!’ sings Stacy Jones at the end of the title track of The Art of Losing, the first of many homages/ rip-offs on his group’s sophomoric sophomore release. It’s an ironic sentiment coming from Jones for a more unsettling reason than it was when the British one-hit wonder, Kim Wilde, originally sang it in her 1981 hit, ‘Kids In America.’ Jones and his group, American Hi-Fi, really are the kids in America and one of the more popular purveyors of America’s watered down nu-punk the major label industry’s ‘rock’ answer to pre-fab teen pop.
However, regardless of the cheesy references to My Bloody Valentine, Cheap Trick, the Pixies and AC/DC, American Hi-Fi are more akin to 80s hair metal giants, Motley Crue, complete with misogynistic, party-dude overtones like, ‘All the bitches in the back/ C’mon, c’mon get up, get up!’ and pristinely slick production, courtesy of Australian recording veteran, Nick Launay.
Boston-based American Hi-Fi is drummer-turned-songwriter Stacy Jones’s shot at fronting a band after years of providing the backbeat for popular 90s alternative rock bands Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt. The group released its eponymous debut in 2001 and enjoyed success with the popularity of their single ‘Flavor of the Weak,’ the stop-start chorus of which is recycled on Losing’s imaginatively-titled, ‘The Breakup Song.’ The uncanny similarity of the two songs proves that Jones is capable of ripping ideas, not only from others but also himself.
The album’s dynamics range from chug-chugging, power-chord verses to loud, power-chord, arena-rock ‘woah-oh, yeah, yeah’ choruses and obligatory ‘Lemme see you jump!’ breakdowns. But let’s give some credit where it’s due: Jones is adept at writing a catchy, albeit watered down, melody as in ‘Teenage Alien Nation’ and ‘Built For Speed.’
It’s hard to take these guys seriously with lines like, ‘Hey ho, let’s go! One-two, f you!’ and, ‘I get fed up, holla back y’all.’ It’s also hard not to cringe when you notice that the guitar solo in ‘Happy’ is stolen from Paul McCartney’s in The Beatles’s ‘Taxman.’ The song ends with a feedback screech and drum burnout, as seen on Nirvana’s In Utero, a fitting finish to this stunningly derivative album. While Joe Strummer and Kurt Cobain roll over in their graves, Nikki Sixx looks on like a proud dad.
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