Five O'Clock Heroes - Different Times (2011)

Although the Anglo-American group has always been based in NYC, this marks the first time their music will be properly released in the United States. Their previous two efforts, Bend To The Breaks (2006) and Speak Your Language (2007), were confined to the shores of Europe and the UK. Different Times (Out February 15th on Glaze Records) marks the first album from the US based group to come out on their home turf.

The early reception has already been very warm, with Filter commending the single 'Rough Boys' noting that 'The up-beat jam has your head bobbing from beat one and is stuffed with bright pop guitar riffs.' The influential My Old Kentucky Blog wrote that 'When a band's name is an allusion to a much-beloved song by The Jam, and the title of their lead single is shared by a Pete Townsend staple, astute listeners should have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Five O Clock Heroesdo not disappoint. Steering clear of the messy class politics that fuel The Jam's finest output, Rough Boys is early vintage Joe Jackson; a street smart paean to love interrupted, all razor-sharp guitars and snaky bassline hung on metronomic drumming.'

Unlike its predecessors, Different Times was recorded during a scant five day stretch in the studio with Grammy winning engineer and producer Gus Oberg (The Strokes, Bloc Party, Albert Hammond Jr.). The songs had already been thought out and fully formed on the road, practiced and tweaked during sound-checks until they were ready for an audience and further refinement. As a result the album carries a visceral live sound built around what the band found connected with their listeners while on stage. Different Times is stripped down to the winning interplay between bright pop guitar riffs, splashes of soulful organ, and lead singer Antony Ellis yearning yet rough hewn vocals. In the process the album evokes the moody pop of The Jam, the groovier side of Elvis Costello a la 'Watching the Detectives,' and dare we say the fun of Dexys Midnight Runners.

TRACKLIST
1. Diplomat
2. Rough Boys
3. Tell Me
4. The Cut
5. Boys Not Girls
6. City of Lights
7. Postcard
8. Londinium
9. I Need You Around
10. Just a Friend of Mine