The band bounces from British themes like "6'O Clock on A Tube Stop" to Americana joke songs like "Starbucks" a big hit in Britain as it were. While I did enjoy their fresh new sound compared to your typical North American fare, I thought some of the songs were a bit repetitive at times, but pick this up to go global with your punk/emo culture.

Best British Band
A Toned down Monkey Kong but still with the edge and the prowess of a great A album. Every song could've been a single that would power into the top 75 like 6 previously did off the two previous studio albums. But lets talk about this touch of class, a masterpiece, would sit on your finest shelf of 16th antiques if the cover had taken more than 5 minutes to draw. the first track, which was ultimately the straw that broke the camels back, is stark contrast to the rest of the album, is hard hitting with a catchy first riff. There on there is some quality toned down A like you have never heard them before. Going Down is arguably the best track despite its less than happy lyrics. Something's going on is an instantly catchy song aswell as the amazing W.D.Y.C.A.I. But lets not forget the song of the summer in my eyes. Starbucks took A out of the 1 hit wonder category and into the main stream. They were now to be taken as an A list British rock band. They appear everywhere, even on Coronation Street. Better still moving through the album is Took it away, the techno feel is instantly cancelled out by Jason Perry's unique sound and Mark Chapmans roaring guitar. All in all best album so far, even better than Showbiz by Muse and that is saying something!!

Unbelievably outstanding
It takes something special to get me to praise an album but this is just that. I've been a fan of A for nearly 4 years, and considered "Monkey Kong" to be a strong album. This latest offering however is off the scale. When I first put this CD on, I was a bit concerned that they'd headed in a nu-metal direction with the loud, metallic guitar riff of "Nothing". I needn't have worried: beneath it was incredibly rich production, thick vocal harmonies, interesting keyboard sounds and samples and one of the tightest rhythm sections to be found in the alt/power-punk genre today. The CD then progresses through pop gems like "Something's Going On" and the bittersweet "Going Down" before hitting an extremely strong trio. "Starbucks" is brilliantly written with a sweet acoustic-style guitar part; "The Springs" breathes with lush melodies; and "Shut Yer Face" is fun, heavy and grooving. But wait - there's more. The next few songs are not the best on the album, but it's worth the wait for "Hi-Fi Serious" and the bonus track "Champion of Endings". The former is almost opus-like in it's construction, whilst the latter once again showcases the band's melodic instincts. Superb - possibly my favourite 21st century album...

GREAT CD
Great cd-will be making a music video of it soon-email me for details if you want to see it.
Hi-Fi Serious is a great album. Being a long time fan of A, it's nice to hear the band evolve from their earlier punk roots. Some of the stand out tracks here are "Nothing", "WDYCAI", "Starbucks" and "Something's going on". While songs like "The Distance" and the title tracks should have been taken off the album in favor of B-Sides such as "Everybody In" or "T-Shirt money", they don't blemish the record too badly. All in all this is something that every alt-rock fan should at least consider listening to.
As Hi-Fi Serious so ably demonstrates, sometimes it's just a matter of waiting for the rest of the world to catch up with you. At the time their second album, Monkey Kong, was released, A were pegged as a poor Brit-rock substitute for their angst-heavy American peers. Come their third album, though, A sound every bit the globe-straddling international rock band. Marking out the crucial mid-point between the impassioned emo-pop of Jimmy Eat World and the dumb-assed gross-out punk splatter of Blink-182, Hi-Fi Serious is a cackling, cartoonish descent into fearlessly tuneful power-pop larkery. It's saturated in an obvious love for beach-bum Americana: the lines "It's an endless summer / It's the summer forever" breeze through the song "Pacific Ocean Blue." And while the five are frighteningly eager to dally like playful puppies through all rock's cheesiest clichés--just check out guitarist Mark Chapman's Eddie Van Halen-style fretwork on "The Distance"—the music is always performed with enough charm to win the day. --Louis Pattison