The Hours - See The Light

has been to the dark edge of his own personal abyss, and after bringing himself back slowly from a life spiraling towards destruction, he is now doling out his cautionary advice to all who chose to listen on The Hours sophomore album ‘See The Light’. With Martin Slattery handling the Coldplay-like driving piano and keyboard arrangements, Genn’s soaring vocals provide depth and meaning to these anthems, often warning the listener against the ills of fame and overindulgence. And with Flood’s usual unrestrained production, these songs are chock full of lush orchestration and massive choruses that often get bogged down with the weight of their own ambition. They aren’t terrible by any means, but usually by the four minute mark, the often repetitive vocals become far too sanctimonious, and it’s more than enough already.

‘Big Black Hole’ is an obvious choice for a single, and get’s the album off strongly, but is a clear sign of what’s to come, as well. With a recurrent chorus and a piano driven melody that gives way to spiraling, exuberant orchestration, the song creates a template that most of the songs on ‘See The Light’ follow far too closely to sound completely original. And that uncompromising adherence to such a recognizable pattern and style causes the album to become tedious, and the songs suffer and become stifled and same-sounding. ‘These Days’ and ‘Come On’ sound like something that Chris Martin threw in his bin, with Genn fishing it out during his darker moments, hoping it would be worth something someday. Not altogether unpleasant, but not original either.

‘Never See You Again’ continues down that same road, but there is enough of a spirit and a spark within the track that it works, both musically and lyrically. But the momentum is halted by the far-too-fragile ‘Car Crash’, which tries ever so hard to be grandiose but simply is too bland to resonate. ‘Think Again’ is a simmering anthem that gets better and more convincing with repeat listens. After the slow-build of the start, the song kicks in gear, with the keys managing to blend well with the propulsive drums, and the track soars impressively.

A lot seems to have been made of the supposed Amy Winehouse inspired ‘The Girl Who Had The World At Her Feet’, and how she (or any train wreck like her) would be best served to listen to it. But that is giving the woeful track far too much credit, for it’s banal lyrics come across as far too preachy for a song lacking in any real soul. It’s quite a misstep, and far too overreaching for such an elementally simple song. The quite danceable title track manages to end the record on a positive, upbeat note, even though the song does go on for far too long. But there is a hypnotic optimism to the song that is reassuring and euphoric.

But overall, ‘See The Light’ is a mixed bag of familiar elements and styles, some far more effectual than others. There are hints at originality and innovation found throughout the record, but often that is mixed with simple, preachy lyrics and a melody that is far too recognizable. The album isn’t helped any by production that is obviously going for something bigger than the confines of this record. These are ultimately simple songs that would be better served being heard in a small club, but unfortunately they are trying far too hard to be stadium sing-alongs.