Review Summary: An emotionally intense record that could do to be a bit more concise
For many albums on the first play it’s difficult to truly get a sense of them. Especially in genres like ambient and slowcore I’ve found it takes many listens to understand them in their entirety. The tracks blend together in such an atmospheric way that it can sometimes be impossible to take in individual songs until the whole album has embedded itself in you. In some ways, I think this is the opposite to many other genres. In other genres first your first listen often consists of a song or two that grab you with a catchy chorus or guitar part that then allows you a window into the album. ‘Endless Grey’ is a perfect example of how the listener’s relationship to the music can be starkly different depending on the genre.
It’s the overwhelming melancholy of the atmosphere on ‘Endless Grey’ that sticks with you after your first interactions. The guitar that opens the album on the title track is so profoundly sad that it could even fit within the context of an atmospheric black metal album. It genuinely seeps with emotion, as do the vocals that enter soon after. Drenched in reverb, they harken back to classic slowcore artists such as Carissa’s Wierd. Immediately it reminded me of ‘To Be There Now’ from Ugly But Honest – which is a high accolade as that song moved me to tears. ‘A Thousand Hours’ manage to accomplish a similar effect as they really shunt their emotions directly into your veins on some of these songs.
They also borrow liberally in places from shoegaze, specifically Slowdive and similar artists. This is most obvious when the male and female vocals work in conjunction. They play off each other in a similar fashion as many songs from ‘Souvlaki’, but with a more directly downtrodden outlook. Another aspect borrowed from Slowdive is the almost languid style of bass employed here. It provides an extreme calm from which the other instruments can build from. This mixed with airy synth create the ethereal trapping that is integral to their sound.
Unfortunately, the downfall of this album is in its length. At 45.36 it’s on the longer side, but not overwhelmingly so. However, the feelings and sounds it explores seem to be mostly covered by the 30-35-minute mark and it begins to feel a little samey after this point. Had it been condensed down into a smaller and more refined package it could have been so much more. As it stands it starts strong and immediately conveys a strong emotion, but this fades away as the album begins to drag on its second half.
A Thousand Hours show a real emotive capacity on this release, they just need time to develop. On future releases I would like to see them refine what they have created here and allow for a shorter, punchier runtime. Ultimately I would still recommend this album to fans of slowcore especially as it has some great moments within that deserve your time.
