Evening Hymns
Quiet Energies
October 16 2015 (Tin Angel Records)
5/10
Words: Richard O’Hagan
Ontario's Evening Hymns created a quiet buzz with their last offering, ‘Spectral Dusk’ in 2013 and this, their third studio album, effectively takes that buzz and turns it into something far more musical.
Decidedly more upbeat than its predecessor (which given that this was written by Jonas Bonnetta as a personal statement on grieving and loss following the death of his father, may be surprising to some), ‘Quiet Energies’ has a distinctly 1980s feel about it at times, with the likes of Prefab Sprout and particularly Deacon Blue echoing through just about every track. What it lacks though, is a real standout moment. Opener ‘If I Were A Portal’ burbles along happily, but is almost mirrored by the following ‘Evil Forces’, which makes the two of them rather forgettable.
The same thing happens with just about every track of the eight on offer here. At the time they are very nice to listen to, but that killer hook just isn’t there. In fact, it is almost a blessed relief when Jon Hynes’ scuzzed-up guitar kicks in for a brief solo on ‘Oh Man You’ll Walk Again And Again’.
There’s also something odd about the tracklisting. Every time there’s an uptempo number, someone, somewhere, has felt the need to follow it with something decidedly downbeat. It is as if there is a fear of really letting go and allowing the listener to have a good time. Which means that, frankly, this listener didn’t.
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