The simple and to the point answer is….no they weren’t. They wanted to breakaway from the emo label with “Hours” and create something more mainstream rock and while the new cd has more variety than it’s predecessor, it still has those tracks that are unmistakably a mix of emo and rock. Even worse is that after listening to the whole cd I was left wondering where they harder tracks were. It seems they went with a much softer sound than the previous album with most of the songs.
All this doesn’t make the album bad though. They may have failed in their goal to put emo behind them and create something innovative. The albums first single “Streetcar” definitely reminds you of their previous album with a harder sound and more guitar work. It has that sound that you can associate with FFAF.
One of the standout tracks was “Hospitality” which again has that FFAF sound that most fans will be looking for. It’s has the harder sound with the guitar and drum work and vocalist Matt Davies produces some excellent vocals on the track.
The other standout track you have to wait until the end of the album for. “Sonny” is certainly something of a change for their sound and perhaps a little emo, but its something different and innovative. It has an eerie sound to it. Although the lyrics are not complicated, they go well in creating the eerie and depressing type mood that I think they were going for. It’s good to see them trying something different and shows some promise for the future.
However the rest of the songs on the album are pretty much forgettable. They are nothing new and some show a regression in their abilities. The first track “All The Rage” is nothing great, the lyrics are poor and it shows little change from their previous album. Their ballad of sorts entitled “Drive” is an [i]attempt[/i] and that’s about all. The lyrics are extremely poor and the vocals and music just don’t mesh.
As a whole FFAF’s new release “Hours” is a disappointment especially after all the hype and the success of their previous album. They definitely had the opportunity in front of them to move into the American market if they would have produced a quality album. If they could have tried incorporating more innovation into their sound undoubtably we would be hearing more from them in the US soon. However I doubt “Hours” will make much of a splash over here, besides with the already FFAF fans, who may not even care.
"Hours" is on sale June 14, 2005 from Atlantic.
