{"id":31685,"date":"2012-12-24T12:39:49","date_gmt":"2012-12-24T12:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-hearts-souls-the-use-of-living\/"},"modified":"2018-03-11T01:30:03","modified_gmt":"2018-03-11T01:30:03","slug":"album-review-hearts-souls-the-use-of-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-hearts-souls-the-use-of-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Hearts & Souls – The Use of Living"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"Labelling\u00a0a band as fitting into the pop-rock involves a certain element of risk, first and foremost because said genre doesn’t have the kind of solid, tangible, sonic limits other sub-genres are defined by. It doesn’t help that Leeds threesome Hearts & Souls<\/strong> don’t appear to have drawn any borders either, which can ultimately only benefit the listener. Moreover, their distinctive brand of pop-rock comes with the highly connoted tag of \u201cfemale-fronted\u201d, of which the most popular examples reveal a growing tendency towards candy-floss rock and rainbow pop. There’s none of that on\u00a0d\u00e9but\u00a0EP ‘The Use Of Living’<\/em>, and all the better for it.<\/p>\n

Through assured song-writing (there are some tasty chord progressions at work here) and a taste for vivid imagery, Hearts & Souls<\/strong> provide a fresh piece of moody poppy alt-rock pie with some healthy helpings atmospherics and a sprinkling of steel here and there. Opener ‘England’s Coldest Waves’<\/em> takes the slow-burner route, a solitary piano accompanied by Lucinda Livingstone’s lower-tone vocals gradually builds-up with military drum rolls before the track smoothly transitions into a measured climax of atmospherics. ‘Liquidlung’<\/em> is a more straightforward pop-rock track that never ventures too far outside of a deliberate shuffle, but there are a handful of noticeable lyrical moments (some for being catchy, others for being quite baffling. The listener will no doubt form his own opinion).\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Following with a somewhat lighter tone, ‘Airwaves’<\/em> treads along the same lines but adds accompanying male vocals, the dual delivery comes off quite successfully during the song’s rousing finale. ‘Western Chemistry’<\/em> unleashes their heavier side all cymbals ahoy (albeit in small portions), as a soft one-note-at-a-time guitar shifts purpose as the track’s spine and a more restrained background role, guiding the listener through the song.<\/p>\n

Closer ‘Six-Eight’<\/em> returns to the slow-burn method but stretches further than ‘England’s Coldest Waves’<\/em> towards a triumphant epic finale, encompassing everything the band have proven capable of on the rest of the EP in a satisfying cocktail.<\/p>\n

‘The Use Of Living’<\/em>\u00a0might have benefited from a more reserved 5 tracks with ‘Death And Other Subjects<\/em>’ and ‘Pulling Teeth’<\/em> arguably lesser versions of what’s on display elsewhere on the track listing, but it’s a small complaint that shouldn’t take away from what Hearts & Souls<\/strong> do very well: moody atmospheric alt-rock. With enough variety and a refusal to stick to one formula, those peeps from Leeds have signed a great\u00a0d\u00e9but.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4\/5<\/p>\n

‘The Use of Living’<\/em> by Hearts & Souls<\/strong> is released on January 21st.<\/p>\n

Hearts & Souls\u00a0<\/strong>links: Official Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Tumblr<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by James Berclaz-Lewis (@swissbearclaw<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Labelling\u00a0a band as fitting into the pop-rock involves a certain element of risk, first and foremost because said genre doesn’t have the kind of solid, tangible, sonic limits other sub-genres are defined by. 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