A Thousand Hours – Endless Grey – Album Review by Killian Laher

With an album title like that, it’s clear that Alaskan band A Thousand Hours are in thrall to the Cure. This is not necessarily a bad thing, unless you have an aversion to the gothic overtones contained here, starting with the otherworldly swirls of the title track. This is quickly followed by the dark, propulsive bassline of B. At times they sound like Joy Division on downers (Ship) with an insistent bass joined by occasional guitar, providing singer Red Collier with plenty of space for his lugubrious croon. The final track, instrumental Closure goes even further in this direction, adding a little early Sisters of Mercy for good measure. These sparse, unhurried tracks work really well. Elsewhere, Moments and the Cure-evoking Rainy Days are more of the ‘sink in and succumb’ end of the shoegaze spectrum. Ghostly, brooding tracks such as Tender provide enough variety to keep the album interesting yet maintain the doom-laden mood. The musicianship is of a generally high standard, with the crystal clear, clean guitar lines doing much to keep unhurried tracks like Down and the slow, anthemic Flood from plodding a little too much.

It’s sit and stare out the window music that’s for sure and a very promising debut.

Track List:

1. Endless Grey
2. B
3. Ship
4. Moments
5. Tender
6. Hold
7. Down
8. Flood
9. The Desolate Hour
10. Rainy Days
11. Closure