I'll Find You / Answers / Dissolve
/ What Thought Did / If I Could / Falter / Shine / Drowning
/ Oratorio / Silver / Gone Too Far / Avalanche
Columbia Records
Currently being hailed as the new messiahs of the Britrock
scene along with bands like A and Lost Prophets, this is the
debut album from Hundred Reasons.
Combining the hardcore soundscapes of bands like Fugazi with
the more pop oriented direction of Foo Fighters and Jimmy
Eat World, Ideas Above Our Station is an album that manages
to cover both bases.
I'll Find You, sets the tone perfectly as muscular guitar
riffs blend seamlessly with the melodic vocals. Coming on
like a British version of the Foo Fighters, Hundred Reasons
take the same approach of combining the best of the last ten
years of post-hardcore and injecting them with a healthy dose
of melody and harmonies.
Answers, takes the same approach, as walls of guitars battle
it out with the vocals for supremacy over a background of
flailing drums. What Thought Did, takes things in a heavier
direction, clocking in at under three minutes this is a compact
collection of riffs and energy that almost collapses under
its own weight, and you can almost taste the sweat from vocalist
Colin Doran as he spits out the words in a primal scream.
Falter, is the bands first attempt to slow things down a little,
what could be described as a post-hardcore power ballad, but
fortunately sounding much better than that. Gently dissonant
guitars crash along while the vocals keep things pop friendly,
culminating in some bona fide choruses that hint at things
to come.
Silver, starts off with some gentle guitar work that eventually
gives way to a guitar riff that owes as much to power pop
bands like Cheap Trick or Kiss as it does to hardcore. This
is far and away the most overtly pop moment on the album,
with massive choruses and synth breaks that show a bit more
depth to their sound than you might imagine.
On, Gone Too Far, they go in the other direction, with a pure
hardcore approach, where screamed out vocals blend with huge
guitar riffs, owing a huge debt to bands like Quicksand and
Bluetip.
Ideas Above Our Station, is an assured debut album, that manages
to showcase their sound with definite class and intent. Moments
of it do come a little too close to the Foo Fighters, with
their mixture of hardcore and pop sounding a little derivative
at times.
Hundred Reasons, though, have come up with an album that sounds
fantastic at high volumes and has definite moments of huge
promise.
7/10
BIOGRAPHY
Surrey based band, Hundred Reasons came about in 1999, after
members from two bands, Jetpack and Floor decided to form
a band together.
After playing a string of live shows throughout London, they
released their debut EP, One. The band continued playing live
and in 2000 recorded a Radio One Evening Session and also
managed to win a Kerrang award for best new British band.
November 2000, saw them headlining a tour of Scotland sponsored
by Radio One, as well as numerous other support slots all
across the country.
In 2001, they signed to Columbia Records and release their
second EP, Two.
In June they played as support to Incubus across the UK and
Europe, climaxing in a triumphant show at London's Brixton
Academy.
2002, saw the band having their first top 30 single with Silver
and debut album, Ideas Above Our Station entering the album
charts in the top 5.
one.
LINE UP
Colin Doran - Vocals
Larry Hibbit - Guitars / Vocals
Paul Townsend - Guitars / Vocals
Andy Gilmour - Bass
Andy Bews - Drums
RECOMMENDED - If You Like This Album
MY VITRIOL - Finelines
JIMMY EAT WORLD - Bleed American
RIVAL SCHOOLS - United By Fate
FUGAZI - Thirteen Songs
LOSTPROPHETS - The Fake Sound Of Progress
FOO FIGHTERS - The Color And The Shape
DISCOGRAPHY
IDEAS ABOVE OUR STATION (2002 - Columbia Records)
I'll Find You
Answers
Dissolve
What Thought Did
If I Could
Falter
Shine
Drowning
Oratorio
Silver
Gone Too Far
Avalanche
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