Not A Waste of Time

The Hours deliver an overly impressive debut.

The Hours

Narcissus Road

Released on Nov 30, -0001

5

"It's true. We mean what we say. Every note. Every beat. Every syllable. We believe it's time for a change. It's time to break the cycle, turn over onto a fresh page. Time to get up off our arses, stand up and be counted. All of us, no exceptions. Don't get us wrong, we don't mean to come across all high and mighty, all holier than thou. It's just that we care. We care about people, we care about each other. We want to get to know you. We want to become a part of your lives. We want to laugh with you when you're happy. We want to comfort you when you're feeling sad. We believe everyone should tell their own story. Everyone should sing their own song. We are here for a good time, not a long time. It's a fact, embrace it. Don't be scared, just dive in. Go on, you can do it. Come swimming with us, the water feels beauty!"

So says the Manifesto posted on the The Hours website. Much like the Manifesto, this debut from The Hours runs the gamut of human emotions touching on all senses. After further listening, one could want to have them over for tea or a night of heavy drinking because you'll want to delve even further into their world. Narcissus Road (A&M Records) is an ambitious and lush debut from a couple of old pros in the UK indie scene. Antony Genn (formerly of Pulp and Elastica) and Martin Slattery (pianist and sax player for Black Grape and Joe Strummer) make up The Hours. They first met at a 2004 Radiohead show, and after being completely floored by the performance, they decided they should form a band. Thus, The Hours were born.

Lead off track "Ali In The Jungle" is as strong and expressive as its title hero. And first single, " Back When You Were Good," is a spine tingling string heavy anthem fit for Olympic Decathlon Soundtracks. With songs that truly stand up and say "look at what I can do now, mother," Narcissus Road is a stunning debut well worth the price of Import.

High Point

Low Point

Posted by Joe Roth on Sep 10, 2007 @ 12:00 am