British rockers return with a dark album - perfect to listen to during the dark nights.
Confession and catharsis on Funeral For A Friend's solid second album.
Having sold over 100,000 copies of their debut and gathered a rabidly devoted fanbase, Funeral For A Friend had to make good on their second album. Are they more than just a fashionable flash in the pan, with the skills to become international stars?
Certainly their label Atlantic thinks so, having made them a priority act. Produced by Terry Date, Hours gets off to a flying start with All The Rage, with furious hardcore riffs and Matt Davies' anthemic lyrical hooks. The screamo excesses have been reined in, though Monsters and The End Of Nothing show that the band's trademark riotous choruses and squalling twin guitars are still solidly intact.
Elsewhere, Funeral try out stadium rock on History, and slow the pace on Drive. Most daring, however, is the closing Sonny, which introduces synths and a drum machine. Could it point towards a future direction for the band?
Lyrically there's a sense of loss throughout Hours, through death or failed relationships (or either acting as a metaphor for the other), alongside songs about domestic abuse and alcoholism. Despite the band's success, Hours is a good deal darker than Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation, with not a note of humour or positivity throughout its 43 minutes. Perfect for dark nights of contemplation, but disaffection and teenage angst can only take a band so far.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
All The Rage
Streetcar
Roses For The Dead
Hospitality
Drive
Monsters
History
Recovery
The End Of Nothing
Alvarez
Sonny
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