City And Colour - The Hurry And The Harm (Album Review)
Tuesday, 04 June 2013
Written by Katie Vowles
There’s no doubt that Dallas Green’s vocals are some of the most consistently brilliant around. From Alexisonfire to his own solo project, City and Colour, he brings character and conviction to everything he touches and 'The Hurry and The Harm' is no exception.
The title track begins the album with beautiful fragility, a simple strummed guitar part being coupled with tropical-sounding slide guitar. The smooth, lush pre-chorus of Harder Than Stone provides a great hook while the delicate, picked acoustic guitar sets a soft foundation for Green’s effortless vocals. His melody dances around, bringing the lyrics to life, and when listening through headphones the track feels like a personal serenade.
Of Space And Stone and Two Coins are two of the most ordinary tracks from 'The Hurry and The Harm', with the latter feeling bland and rather lifeless. Two Coins grows on you with every listen, but it still stands as a rather weak effort compared to some of the highlights from the album. Clocking in at over five and a half minutes, it’s also the longest song on 'The Hurry and The Harm' when it really doesn’t need to be.
Paradise is another track that is a little sub-par. It’s one of those repetitive, overly emotional acoustic guitar tracks that just feels like a filler. On the other hand, purposeful drums and determined guitars open The Lonely Life, a confident track that hits home.
Possessing a tender chorus with a solid hook, it's again an acoustic track but it still manages to sound different to the rest. That’s one great thing about 'The Hurry and The Harm' as an album – while the tracks may sound quite similar upon first listen, they all have their own charm and are recognisable as separate entities.
Commenters has real character, the quaint picked guitar solo is full of personality and provides a light-hearted little melody for the listener to hold on to. This quirky, cheerful track is quite possibly the best off the album, its hook will be stuck with you for days and you won't mind one bit.
Thirst - the album's single - takes a more commercially-friendly, rock-tinged direction. The unusual electric guitar riff catches you off guard instantly after so many acoustic songs while Green’s vocals, as usual, are on top form. Here his voice provide a sweet counterpart to the dirty instrumentation.
The first half of the album definitely feels superior, as the quality starts to diminish toward the end. Take Care is the exception, though, as its intricate guitar perfectly complements Green's vocals as he mimics the picked melody. Strings fill the space and add depth to what is a truly beautiful song. From Take Care onwards it feels like a natural progression toward the end of the album, with Death's Song providing a slow, appropriate end to what’s been an emotional journey with some fantastic stops along the way.
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