Finally a band with a cool name

Although a google search for the band, Hockey, doesn't produce the number of results you might expect for a group trying to make a name for themselves, it should only be a matter of time until more people are searching for info on this hip new group from Portland, Oregon. 

Hockey has drawn comparisons to LCD Soundsystem and The Strokes according to their wikipedia page.  That's a fair assessment, but take a listen and judge for yourself. 

iTunes has their single "Too Fake"... their myspace page has a handful of their tracks and is worth 5-15 minutes of your time if you're interested in discovering new music before it's mainstream.

The band is slated to perform at the 2009 Bonnaroo Festival and the 09 edition of Lollapalooza in Chicago this August. By that time, their debut album will have been out in the UK for a few months and the PR machine should be all greased up (album drops in the US on August 24th).

So why am I writing about them? Subconciously, I'm excited that they've chosen the name hockey for their band name. But seriously, they offer a soulful sound that reminds me of other alternative bands I listen to. Better yet, they don't have an album out yet which makes following them all the more exciting.

In this era of the digital download, discovering music has changed for the better. Fifteen years ago, I wouldn't catch wind of this group until months after their studio album and a few weeks after the radio airplay was in full swing.

I caught one of their songs, "Work, work, work", in the latest Sony Playstation 3 title MLB 09: The Show. Arguably, the best next gen sports title to date (right up there with EA Sports' NHL 09). The soundtracks of video games has proven to be one of the greatest ways to expose consumers to new artists. EA Sports has an amazing track record (The Madden NFL franchise in particular) of introducing new bands to the mainstream and kudos to Sony for following suit.

Keep your eyes on these guys, and if they end up changing their name to differentiate themselves in Google searches from the greatest sport on the planet... I'll be sure to let you know.