See The Light - Hours (The)

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Average
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Good audio, excellent music, heady and EXCELLENT Cover design .
Disadvantages:	Lacks variety, music over rides voice .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Released in April this year See the Light is the second album of The Hours, after the debut in 2007 with Narcissus Road was not that phenomenal but it was definitely a triumph of integrity, a rare thing in contemporary music and mixed anger and intellect with intellect. Their word and songs epitomizes contempt for the status quo existining in the society and all our parts in it. You have to admire the album that smells of lonely bed-sit confessions. In fact only once, on Car Crash does it recall Narcissus Road's introverted pessimism.

Anthony Genn is an industry veteran who has the experience of working with Joe Strummer, Pulp and UNKLE and Slattery was on keyboards for Black Grape. But what is important they have retuned their manifesto, they are now a group in 2009 “…..mean(s) what we say. Every note. Every beat. Every syllable. They have proved sounding epic doesn’t mean sounding like Coldplay. It is to their credit that they roped in producer Flood who had a great run with The Killers. Cenzo Townsend’s inclusion add polish to the group to a large degree.

No doubt “See the light” will cement the promise of raw passion, honesty and the blistering warts of 2007’s Narcissus Road to emphatic effect.

I think it’s inconsequential, although a fact, that Damien Hirst is the art work designer of “See The Light” but what I honestly believe that money is a big factor, The Hours is doing what Genn and Slattery do, music, for art and not for money. The bigger the truth is less believable it becomes be it noble or naïve.

The tracks in the album:
1. Big Black Hole
2. These days
3. Come on
4. Never See You Again
5. Car Crash
6. Think Again
7. Love is in Action
8. Cash Cow
9. Wall of Sound.
10. See the Light.

Through out the album Slattery’s piano lines has been splendid and Genn’s voice is perfecrt as usual. The guitar, piano, drums and the voice all coalesce perfectly.
"Black Hole" to my mind is the most impressive track in this album where they are in search of a real man
“…We were so young,
Life was so much simple then
And we were surrounded by so many real man
Thought that there weakness as strength of how wrong they were…” true.

There is the melancholy of “Never See You Again”, wickedness of “Love Is In Action”.
What impressed me most is there ability to reach the heart more with their music rather than the lyrics and the best example is there title track “See The Light”. There is not much in terms of lyrics in this album but the music is heady, foot tapping and frivolous.

….”some where within all the darkness there is light and I need to find” well you cann’t be more honest.

To sum up I must say in all most of the tracks touches the heart, as I have been saying, very honest, heady, lively through and through and I am damn sure they will put you in a heady mood.

Keep your fingers crossed, watch them climb up the pop chart and may be there will be tsunamy in your coffee mug!!