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Album Review
by SashaS
17-5-2002
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| Hundred Reasons' '... Our Station' |
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Hundred Reasons: 'Ideas Above Our Station'
(Columbia)
Hundred Reasons is a Brit-band that soars the local vista
With club scene satisfying hedonistic weekends of our lives while ‘lego-popsters’ spoil the fun (unless you are 6), British rock has been in decline of late. It has to be said that it’s been lagging behind the American scene for far too many years in spite of attempts to produce something on par; it generally lacked credibility, integrity and need for therapy. The strange thing is that Americans have been getting inspiration from the best of British, although the historic greats.
Signs of recovery were noticed with bands such as Lostprophets although there is still too much emo-music for nu-men. Or, bands like Idlewild; an outfit that should do something about getting some decent music ideas and strive for original things to express; even they become successful because fans do not know better. Finally, they can broaden their minds (and the rest will follow) with Hundred Reasons.
‘Ideas Above Our Station’ is a rock statement that can stand proudly alongside any Yanks with its modern sound, anthemic songs and scope that is not bogged down by a small-town mentality. This album doesn’t suffer from parochial ailment, it is as international as air travel is. The band hails from Guildford, Surrey but you wouldn’t know it; they might have been helped by the US producer Dave Sardy (Marilyn Manson) but I suspect that the members have honed-on-the-toned by themselves, pretty much.
‘… Station’ is an album of riffs-galore and unbridled passion, full of intensity and yet not overloading your senses. Refraining from in-your-face approach, HR prefer to be heard and listened to rather than to aurally tattoo your brain. Solid rhythms are embroidered with staccato guitar on ‘Answers’, ‘I’ll Find You’ is based upon guitar phrasing that leads to catchy choruses…
‘Dissolve’ uses nu-metal format to inject some interesting breaks, slowly riding a chord-figure to an explosive ending, as well as pop-metallish ‘Silver’… The real aggro of ‘If I Could’ is balanced by ‘Falter’ that slows the tonal convoy to a ballady level without becoming overtly sentimental while ‘Avalanche’ brings the atmosphere to a controlled but an epic conclusion.
‘Ideas Above Our Station’ is an ironic title because that’s what’s been going on with other bands. This lot has ideas that are right on the bucks and could well be one of the rare bands to make it on the other side of the Atlantic.
Hundred Reasons simply sound – huge, vital and global.
8/10
SashaS
17-5-2002
Hundred Reason’s album ‘Ideas Above Our Station’ is released 20 May 2002 on Columbia
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