It’s 8.15 on a bright Sunday morning, and I’m listening to anthemic indie rock tunes that hail from the rock n’ roll town of… Cleethorpes (and an injection of Grimsby for good measure)! Who else could the band be but The Finest Hour?
Despite a slight change to the lineup last year when co-frontman Paul Kavanagh departed the band, The Finest Hour have been working their fingers to the bone gigging whenever and wherever they can, aswell as perfecting the album tracks for the long awaited follow-up to “These Are the Good Old Days” – album number two, “Reason & Rhyme”, will be released on 19th May 2014. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a listen, and what I hear are quality songs from passionate, hard working musicians who really care about the finished product.
It kicks off with “November”, a melodic yet punchy tune about the modern world and human nature. It’s so darn catchy, too – a brilliant balance. They’ve cracked it on this song, in my opinion.
Moving on, we hear the involuntary head nod inducing “Dig Two”, the rousing chorus of “Rum & Red Wine” and move onto “Matchlight”. This is one of the strongest songs on the album, for me. I’m imagining it at a gig – a real jumping track, I think!
Matchlight video:
Next up is the first single from the new album, “Over Bar the Shouting”, which will be available on 31st March 2014 via all the usual suspects, but you can have a sneaky listen right here, right now!
It’s a fusion of indie, rock and folk – the latter dimension provided by addition of some rather lovely vocals belonging to Louise Connor – I’m loving this track! There will be a single launch on 4th April in Grimsby – I don’t mind betting there will be some previews of songs from “Reason & Rhyme”, so I suggest you get down there for what promises to be a special night with these guys!
Every song on the album is a favorite in its own way. “Prizefighter & the Priest” has some really nice guitar work on it – I also really love the pace changes, and the way it just disappears at the end. The “Price of Petrol” showcases Bywater’s vocals and lyrics – it’s beautifully put together, it’s an absolute delight of a song that will have an entire crowd singing along to it.
“Middle Name” brings the tempo right back up – it’s a proper indie tune, this is! Next up is “Strength For the Fight” – I rate the vocal on this very highly – Rob’s voice is at its strongest here, and I totally love the bass!
The penultimate track, “Lost”, is absolutely rocking! This is probably the most anthemic tune on the album, and is what has me dancing in my living room at such an early hour! Brilliant! Last up is “The Long Way Home”, an uplifting, exhilarating, brighten up your day type folk/indie song, and a perfect end to what is a truly awesome album.
The Finest Hour are:
Rob Bywater: vocals, guitars, acoustic guitars & percussion
Sam Simmons: vocals, guitars, acoustic guitars & percussion
Craig Cox: bass guitar
Luke Whotton: drums
Patrick Blakey: vocals, acoustic guitar & percussion
Contact The Finest Hour here:
Filed under: Dotty Views Tagged: cleethorpes, dotty view, folk, grimsby, indie, louise connor, music review, over bar the shouting, punk, reason & rhyme, rock, spider's web, the finest hour
