College Times

Issue date: 5/15/08 Section: Calendar

Media Credit: Aaron Yanachek

While many bands claim to be unique and difficult to categorize, it usually ends up being fairly easy to sum up their sound in a few words. Haffo is one of the rare exceptions to that rule. On their second full-length album, Floating Through Town, the band really is all over the place, seemingly switching genres and moods from song to song. The album-opening "Made to Wait" combines elements of pop punk, funk, hard rock and even Sublime's reggae-tinged groove rock. The second song, "24 Thoughts," could best be described as prog punk, combining punk's simplicity with elaborate guitar licks and time changes. Haffo lightens things up in the middle of the album with a short and bluesy untitled song and the wah-soaked funk of "Avoiding Reprimand" giving way to "Reach Out," another Sublime-y exercise in "reggatta de blanc." "Journey to the North Pole" is a jazzy instrumental that leads into "Select Recall," which utilizes the classic quiet/loud dynamic of Nirvana and the Pixies. "Stations" is a fairly straightforward acoustic ballad, while the album's closer, "JP Goes" sounds like a more experimental Red Hot Chili Peppers. Haffo could pose problems for listeners who like their music predictable and easy to digest, but music fans with diverse taste should find Floating Through Town a welcome challenge.



Haffo CD release w/Captain Squeegee & the Soap Suds, RAC, Kwandri, The Clubhouse Music Venue, 1320 E. Broadway Road, Tempe, 480.968.3238, May 17, 6:30 p.m., $8

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