Album Review: City and Colour, The Hurry and The Harm
RIYL: Alexisonfire, Manchester Orchestra, Jeff Buckley, Bright Eyes, Bon Iver
When 2011’s Little Hell was released, City and Colour became one of the most buzzed-about acts of the year. Canada’s secret weapon of vocal wonder, otherwise known as Dallas Green, found himself quietly gaining a rather large arsenal of fans who engaged with the fresh, simple songwriting style that found a place on that disc. With the much-anticipated release of The Hurry and The Harm, Green continues to push himself lyrically and vocally. The result is an album’s worth of material that is steeped in an unlikely symmetry of strength and unfiltered vulnerability.
The title track opens the record and wastes no time showcasing Green’s staggeringly glorious falsetto tone. The arrangement is sparse and haunting, and a wonderful warm-up to what follows. “Harder Than Stone” picks up the tempo and builds out a more lush soundscape that perfectly counterbalances Green’s dynamic vocal performance to deliver a radio-ready gem. “Of Space and Time”, one of the preview tracks for this release, feels the most reminiscent of the last album, and a wise choice to bridge the gap between the old and new material. “The Lonely Life” showcases a lush arrangement that breathes with the despair contained within the lyrics. This blends perfectly into “Paradise” (“My heart is beating slow/it’s warming to the bone/I’m searching for a paradise that I just can’t seem to find”), yet another sampling of Green’s gift for conjuring vivid imagery.
The second half of the release breaks with “Commentators,” a sing-songy and ridiculously catchy melody filled with scathing sentiment. “Thirst” follows, and is definitely the largest style departure on the record, a driving, pseudo-80s throwback exorcising some pretty primal demons. “Two Coins” is a brooding burner of a song, swelling and shifting with intensity (“I’ve always been dark/with light somewhere in the distance”). “Take Care” breaks back down into a stark showcase of Green’s breathtaking vocals alongside a wonderfully balanced bit of acoustic guitar work. “Ladies and Gentlemen” again employs a lush backdrop for Green’s soaring vocals with dramatic flair, leading back into “The Golden State,” a poignant song that stands out in its simplicity. The record closes with the powerful and gorgeous “Death’s Song.”
I was recently asked to describe Dallas Green’s voice to someone who hadn’t yet heard City and Colour’s music. This is the best I could come up with: blend Fran Healy (Travis) and Jeff Buckley together, add in some extra vocal control and power and the darkness of Nick Drake, and turn it up another notch. Dallas Green’s voice is a true thing of wondrous beauty. I don’t know that he’d appreciate or put much stock in gushing assessments of his vocal range and talent, but what he possesses is something truly special. It is gorgeous, breaks in swells and full range of emotion, and hangs in the air long after each song has ended.
Combined with often self-effacing lyrical content and an understated (and innate) chorus and backing arrangement, the songs on The Hurry and the Harm soar both on their own and as a fleshed-out full album experience. It all works. And though he makes it sound effortless, the heartbreaking clarity of these songs reveals the creative struggle it requires for Green to share his artistry with the rest of us. Fans will not be disappointed for giving this record a place in their summer playlists, and those discovering City and Colour will be transfixed. There’s nothing not to like about this collection of songs, each as distinct and attuned to that secret place in all of us that gives way to our vulnerability. The Hurry and The Harm is a powerful, pure and gorgeous piece of work.
City and Colour website: http://www.cityandcolour.com/
(This review originally appeared on Indie-Music.com at: http://www.indie-music.com/ee/index.php/blog/comments/review_city_and_colour_the_hurry_and_the_harm
Comments