The Hours - Narcissus Road Album Review

The Hours
Narcissus Road
Album Review

The Hours' front man Ant Genn is a long-time there or thereabouts man, having spent time in Pulp, and Elastica, as well as producing Grace Jones and UNKLE. Partner Martin Slattery played keyboards in Black Grape and Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. The two met at a Radiohead gig in 2004, and decided to give it a go together - Genn's friends clearly help.
Damien Hirst helped fund the album's recording, and provided the artwork. And, when it works, as it does on Ali In The Jungle, the cleverer-than-you lyrics and clean piano-led Embrace-y sound contribute to a decent enough noise. But, it really does dwell rather too long in the same space, and on the same idea.

Unlike Air Traffic, The Hours don't do anything with their piano sound - they play it pretty straight and without any real spark. And that's probably the best description of the whole thing - nasty little sub-Jarvis spite and spit lyrics, and a whole load of average songs behind them. Narcissus Road may be an apt title - the main men seem to have taken a stab at a vanity project that neither of them deserves.

3/5

Mike Rea