Artist of the Day: Funeral for a Friend

Let's face it: there are days when you don't know if you want to smile, cry or break stuff in a fit of rage. That's when you stick in your headphones, scroll all the way down to "F" on your iPod and throw on Welsh rockers Funeral For a Friends' simultaneous smile-maker and heart-breaker, Hours.


Known for usually relentless post-hardcore, Hours is an odd but cohesive jumble of emotions coming from the typically heavy outfit. "Streetcar" lays down adrenaline-spiking guitar riffs and a gutsy vocal performance, but the track's true piece de resistance is a breakdown where two lovers declare, over and over, "I can't feel the same about you anymore." It's the kind of song that will bring a tear to listeners' eyes even while they throw their fists emphatically into the air. That's less apparent on "Drive," the record's one true ballad. It's a soft, mournful tune, but one that still burns with passion, albeit a darker one.

But that's not saying that any harder tracks for Hours were scrapped on the cutting room floor. "All the Rage" blazes in three-and-a-half minutes of unbridled glory, and Matthew Davies-Kries lets loose in fits of manic moments. It might not have the metal roots of Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation, but the album is blistering sonically and emotionally.

It's a post-hardcore album with rainy day moodiness and sunny disposition. Sometimes, you just don't know how to feel and the world is just a swirling whirlwind of confusion and feelings. But even in those constant hurricanes of heartbreak and swelling exuberance, Funeral For a Friend remains a constant reminder that it's okay to just let it all out sometimes.

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