The Blue Hour – Lore (Album – Dark Vinyl)
Genre/Influences: Ethereal, Cinematographic.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: American formation The Blue Hour signed to Dark vinyl to unleash their newest opus “Lore”. The band set up in the late 90s and driven by Brian Hodges and singer Marselle Hodges invited an impressive number of guest musicians. Among those artists I’ll mention Pieter Nooten (Clan Of Xymox) and John Fryer.
Content: The Ethereal voice of Marselle Hodges supports the composition with grace and mysticism. The addition of acoustic instruments is fully complementary with her singing while the drums create an interesting duality for the bombastic production. “Lore” leads the listener into an imaginary world of reverie. The last song features both protagonists singing.
+ + + : The Blue Hour has achieved a work filled with reverie, but still revealing a subtle songwriting. Marselle’s vocals rapidly appear to be the main strength of the work, alternating fragility and elevation. The contrast with the heavier, bombastic drum sections sounds surprising although it has something symbiotic. This is a delicate production, filled with emotions and accentuated by neo-classic inspired sound treatments.
– – – : The album is maybe missing an ultimate point so I’m sure there’s even more potential hiding in The Blue Hour.
Conclusion: “Lore” takes the listener away to visit a prosper, dreamy sound universe supported with graceful singing.
Best songs: “Moving Forward”, “Lockdown”, “Embrace Not The Hand”, “These Four Walls”.
Rate: 7.
Artist: www.facebook.com/bluehoursongs
Label: www.darkvinyl.de / www.facebook.com/darkvinylrecords
About The Blue Hour
The Blue Hour is the American project of Brian Hodges, started in the summer of 1993 under the name The Dawn. Hodges handles voice, classical and acoustic guitars, flutes, tapes, programming, keyboards, mandolin and percussion, and has worked with Christoph Gladis, Zaac Aubrey and Tom Moller.
The first release was the 7” “Balaëna / The Price Of Time” in 1994, followed by “Evensong” in 2001 and “The Windless Path” in 2003. After a long gap the project returned with “Moonsong” in 2016, “Always” in 2017 and “In Every Breath” in 2019, alongside singles including “Moving Forward” in 2018, a John Fryer remix of “Embrace Not The Hand” and a Pieter Nooten remix of “One More Mystery”, both in 2019.
Marselle Hodges also sang on Black Needle Noise’s “I Am God” in 2019. “Lore” was issued by Dark Vinyl on CD in 2021.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
