Hours

Personnel: Brian Valentino (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Terry Date.
Recording information: Outhouse Studios, Reading, England (01/12/2005-03/08/2005); Studio Litho, Seattle, WA (01/12/2005-03/08/2005); Studio X, Seattle, WA (01/12/2005-03/08/2005).
Photographer: Jeff Gros.
As Gavin Rossdale and Bush proved in 1994 with their adaptation and refinement of American grunge, sometimes the Brits can do it better. Likewise, Wales-based Funeral for a Friend takes the basic elements of hard-edged U.S. emo (speedy drumming, dramatic, heart-on-the-sleeve vocals, heavy guitars, and complex rhythms) and filters it through a uniquely British lens. "Roses for the Dead" takes the aforementioned elements and adds both a Cocteau Twins-esque wall of shimmering guitar and of touch of Duran Duran-style dance-rock. "Streetcar" takes emo's natural metallic leanings in a slightly different direction, adding a big dollop of Iron Maiden-approved riffery. "History's" mellow groove and chiming six-string pattern seems as indebted to U2 as to Sunny Day Real Estate. An important step in the development of emo's expansion beyond American shores, HOURS will appeal to fans of the genre looking for a distinctive point of view.