Rock band Hockey shuffles out of the big time, no regrets

Art about art is a risky proposition. At its best, creative self-reflection is simultaneously self-affirming and self-deprecating: Warhol's self-portraits or the TV show "30 Rock," for example, or, in musical terms, Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" and Bob Marley's "Rebel Music." It can also pander to the lowest common denominator, like Elton John's "Sad Songs (Say So Much)," or condescend with smug in-joking, like everything ever played by the band Art Brut.

Then there's "Song Away" by Portland-via-Spokane quartet Hockey, which is all of the above — sincere in its smugness, smart in its pandering and shamelessly self-aware. It begins with an electrified kick-drum-and-guitar bounce reminiscent of the Cars or Huey Lewis; when the synth chimes in seconds later, the song locks into full-on radio rock mode circa 1986. There are handclaps and electric drums and more synths. Twenty-six-year-old Ben Grubin sings with scruffy, geeky soul, a naïve conviction that's irresistible:

I want to write a truthful song over an '80s groove. I want to let you know I'll always be straight with you. I stole my personality from an anonymous source and I'm getting paid for it, too. I don't feel bad about that. Give me my chance back.

and

This is on the rise music, this is novelty music, this is who could blame music? Ah don't get fooled by it.

and the chorus

Tomorrow's just a song away, a song away, a song away. It's just a song away.

Knowing the history behind the band confirms that "Song Away" is this year's best song about a song.

Hockey started as a duo several years ago, with Grubin and bassist Jeremy "Jerm" Reynolds playing college house parties around Los Angeles. While still in school at the University of Redlands outside L.A., they were signed to Epic Records. Label shuffling landed them at Columbia, where they worked with a variety of producers. One of those included Jerry Harrison, formerly of Talking Heads, who recorded "Song Away" with the band. Advance monies were given, expectations were high.

"They just thought we could write these songs that could be hits, I guess," said Grubin during a tour stop in Dallas. Columbia, not surprisingly, didn't recognize "Song Away" for what it is. "They said they didn't hear like a single or whatever."

Relations with the label soured. In early 2007 Grubin and Reynolds left Columbia and decided to move on. To Spokane. "We had a friend up there and we were like, let's go get a band and live cheap and regroup," Grubin says. They were looking to flesh out their sound, so drummer Anthony Stassi made Hockey a trio.

In a year's time the band outgrew Spokane and moved to Portland, where they finished "Mind Chaos," their mostly self-produced debut album released earlier this month. "Song Away" is the only track held over from their major-label foray in L.A. It's the highlight of the album, the rest of which is given to high-energy dance rock — good stuff, but somewhat standard and not up to the same level of brilliance. Still, it comes off great live.

Hockey's July gig at the Comet was their second in Seattle, and somehow almost everyone in the room knew every word to every song. The band was fully rounded out by new guitarist Brian White, and the young crowd danced and clapped on cue like enraptured elves.

"If you're a good band, people are gonna like you," Grubin says. "You'll figure it out. And it doesn't really matter who's behind you or not."

Grubin is aware of the band's potential. The band's history confirms it, and their live show lives up to it, even if "Mind Chaos" doesn't fully. That's alright — tomorrow's just a song away.

Beyond Bumbershoot

Take solace, non-Bumbershoot-bound music fans. This week offers plenty of great shows away from the throngs at Seattle Center:

Tonight: It's a double whammy at the Sunset Tavern with longtime trash-rock faves the Whore Moans and brash, mod-ish upstarts Wallpaper, who release their debut album on K Records this November. (10 p.m., $7.)

More Friday-night rock with garage-prog outfit the Pharmacy at the Comet. (With Yes O Yes, Mattress, and Stabbings, 9 p.m., $6.)

Saturday: Party-rap allstars Nite Owls, featuring members of the Saturday Knights and Cancer Rising, roost at the High Dive with Onry Ozzborn of Grayskul (10 p.m., $7.)

Thursday: Built to Spill play their 1997 masterpiece "Perfect from Now On" in its entirety at the Showbox. Heads will explode. (8 p.m., sold out.)

Jonathan Zwickel: zwickelicious@gmail.com