The Hours – See The Light

Antony Genn sings like a man that has overdosed on heroin after a lengthy addiction, come out the other side, kicked his habit and found a new appreciation for life. Oh, hang on, yeah, he actually did that. The passion and determination in his vocal is staggering and is a staple of the band's sound, which more often than not makes up for a fairly limited range. The other staple in The Hours diet is the piano meanderings from Martin Slattery, who has been praised by the likes of Joe Strummer, who said Slattery "could play a hole in the windshield of the tour bus" such was his talent. The Hours’ debut album Narcissus Road was a critical but not commercial success, so having been on the Polydor label they are now on the rather less well known Is Good label. Is Good though is owned by none other than Damien Hirst, the highly controversial artist. Hirst often lists The Hours as his favourite band so it is no surprise to see his artwork on the front cover and as a nifty publicity stunt it is currently available to win.The tone of See The Light follows in the same vein as it's predecessor, with powerful driving music backed up motivational lyrics although with a rather more optimistic air about them this time around. "When you're going through hell you gotta keep going", "Love is an action, talk is cheap man!" and "I know there is light inside of you" are just three examples of their headspace and renewed lust for life. The latter of which is from the title track and closer, which is an absolute stormer of a song. Cries of "Hold on" and "come back to us" breed imagery of someone close to death before they start to 'see the light' and pull through amidst a dramatic string arrangement.This is a solid album by experienced musicians who have certainly been around the block. 'Big Black Hole' is an energetic opener, 'The Girl Who Had the World at Her Feet' is a nice stab at the media and their portrayal of fallen stars like Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears and 'Come On' could be a stadium anthem. However, although solid, it is not one I can see myself wanting to revisit over and over. There aren't enough songs that hold your attention and stick in your mind hours later. It didn't grab me as much as Narcissus Road and if you're new to The Hours I’d give that a go first. 65%

We have some limited edition Vinyl copies of this very album to give away... To win one ~ simply email competition@thelineofbestfit.com with your name, address and the subject line: THE HOURS COMP and we'll put your name in an imaginary hat and pick some winners at random. The Hours on MySpace