Album Review: City & Colour - The Hurry And The Harm

The Hurry And The Harm is the fourth album out for City And Colour, the acoustic folk project of former Alexisonfire guitarist, Dallas Green. The first release since the official fold of Alexisonfire, it's a slightly meatier serving of the same animal from Green – the breezy falsetto, stripped guitars, mellow drums and deep introspection.

Opening with the alt.country tone of the title track, Green dives right into the album's recurring theme of a search; a grand questioning. Most of the album continues in this vein and although his soft acoustic musings are all very beautiful, the high tempo tracks save it from becoming a bit of a drain. The Lonely Life touches on the same existential themes but is backed with a marching beat from guitars and drums, making it a more determined, uplifting experience. Thirst is a thumper of a track; with driving guitars and cool vocals, it's reminiscent of The Black Keys with its smart combination of blues and rock. Originally commissioned for Kimbra, Green reclaimed it when her 'people' failed to get back to him. Excellent move.

Of Space And Time, written during the break-up of Alexisonfire, is perhaps the most lyrically interesting for long-term fans as it covers this period quite openly: “There's an elephant in the back of the room/And it's standing in plain view/Everyone can see that it looks just like me.”

By the time Ladies And Gentlemen comes around, all the falsetto, guitar strings and sentiment can make the listener a bit weary, but the paired-back The Golden State – an anti-escape-to-California ode – and Deaths Song bring the album home with a shot of energy.