City and Colour – the recording and touring alias for Canadian folk-rocker Dallas Green – return with their fourth album, following 2011's critically-acclaimed Little Hell.
It's also the first City and Colour release since the folding of Green's former band Alexisonfire, and The Hurry and The Harm sees him in top form, as he focusses all his considerable musical talents on a single project for the first time in nearly ten years.
Lyrically, the themes are of a hopeful searching and nostalgia, with a more upbeat slant than previous City and Colour records. If you've been driven to despair by the new album by The National of late, The Hurry and The Harm may be just the antidote; Green has a way of tackling heavy subject matter but not making listening to it an ordeal.
The opener and title track is a fine start; a deceptively simple alt-country-tinged tune that sets the pace nicely for what's to follow. 'Harder Than Stone' is next, with beautifully-plucked guitar lines and a chorus of “I don't need you to take my burden away, I ain't afraid of dying”.
Songs like 'The Lonely Life' and 'Paradise' see Green in a self-reflective mood, but keep you interested with a marching beat and some fine falsetto, respectively, while 'Of Space and Time' could well be about the break-up of Alexisonfire.
One of the most interesting tracks is mid-album heavier number 'Thirst'. Apparently originally written for Kimbra, Green went ahead and recorded it himself when she didn't respond to his messages. After listening to the song and seeing what a great job he does with it, it's hard to imagine Kimbra singing it, but let's hope she has a shot at it live some time; it would probably be great.
The Hurry and The Harm is another fine addition to an already excellent Dallas Green catalogue, and a must-hear album of 2013.
City and Colour - The Hurry And The Harm /another brilliant effort by Dallas Green! #newmusic youtu.be/DBJ7t7F1i9U
— Paul Clifford (@paulclifford19) June 2, 2013
This album is incredibly good. New City And Colour album, The Hurry and The Harm.#cityandcolour… instagram.com/p/aCnII2qVdr/
— Sam Price (@DrummerFor_LIFE) June 2, 2013
Luving @cityandcolour The Hurry and the Harm album. Paradise, The Golden State, so very good #cityandcolour #awesome
— Lui (@luiVegas) June 2, 2013
Following the release of his critically acclaimed fourth studio album The Hurry and The Harm, City and Colour has dropped a brand new video for lead single THRIST as well as news of two incredibly...
Following the announcement earlier this month that Canadian musician, Dallas Green – known better as City and Colour – would be visiting Sydney and Melbourne to promote the release of his new album...
Following the 9am on sale today, Chugg Entertainment can confirm that the City and Colour shows in Sydney on Sunday 24th November at the State Theatre and in Hobart on Wednesday 4th December at the...
