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Slattery's background is equally varied, having begun life as a promising jazz prodigy before playing keys with Black Grape and Strummer's Mescaleros. When their paths crossed at a Radiohead gig in 2004, they decided to form a band of their own. With their combined experience, things looked promising.
Their debut, Narcissus Road, is full of this early promise, and gets off to a belter with first single, 'Ali In The Jungle'. Inspired by legends that never knew when they were beat - Nelson Mandela, Mohammed Ali and, of course, Beethoven - it's a spiky, stirring start. 'It's the greatest comeback since Lazarus,' sings Genn, sounding uncannily like James Dean Bradfield. Sadly, it's downhill from here, and the record never really delivers.
Follow-up single 'Back When You Were Good' is an England football anthem in the making, for all the wrong reasons. Apt title aside, its plodding pace, banal lyrics and chiming piano riff manage to evoke both 'Chariots Of Fire' and 'All Together Now', which is quite a feat. Suddenly, Embrace sound pretty groundbreaking.
Talented multi-instrumentalist he may be, but Martin Slattery's conservatively clean piano chords really start to grate after a while. Had he and Genn spared some of the bile on 'Ali!' and 'Love You Better' for the rest of the album, results might have been better. Instead, we're treated to a number of docile and directionless dirges which regularly top the five minute mark. Of these, only 'I Need To Know' is worthy of note. Its sparse strut builds gradually, accented with punk funk guitar stabs, before morphing into a brooding doom-ballad, when Thom Yorke's influence really shines through.
The incongruously garish artwork here comes courtesy of Damien Hirst, who also helped fund the album's recording. But Hirst is no Andy Warhol, The Hours aren't a patch on the Velvet Underground, and it's never a good sign when the most striking thing about a record is its cover. --Richard Banks
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Customer Reviews
I pre-ordered the narcissus rd album and I'm not disappointed. "I miss you" is as touching as music gets. There's some tracks on this album that don't immediately hit me, but taken as a whole, this album is the best new music I've heard in the last 20 years. Beautifully music, great lyrics and the singer has a great emotive voice. It really is very good.
One minute of your Hours experience is spent wanting to bounce up and down to the foot stomping rythm on tracks like Ali in the Jungle and Love you More. Then you find yourself in the company of hugely emotional songs like Miss You. All the while the journey is massively enjoyable and never seems forced or un-natural.
Strong, soaring vocals combine with tight arrangements to make an album that I can only describe as a great pop album. Don't be fooled though, this is clever, mature songwriting, it may have pop sensibilities, but you will still be listening to this long after many of the current rash of less talented popstars have gone back to McDonalds.
Funny, touching, joyful, all aspects of life rolled into one. The time of your life is measured in hours, and Hours have got the measure of your life on this record.
difference across the tracks. Read more
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