Our favorite genres are filled to the brim with lovesongs. We have enough happy love stories and serenades with marriage proposals. Even more songs about love sufferings of all shapes and colors. However, if we consider the classics painted in monochrome, all the mental suffering is perceived more like a good theatrical production: very beautiful and soulful, but artificial. Therefore, out of all the variety, I am most impressed by modern melancholy with notes of punk rebellion. After all, if the heart is broken, then why not break something else? But let’s put aside the real vandalism and immerse our feelings in the abyss of music. Today I will introduce you to my favorite punk rock album by the band Hard Fall Hearts – Last 24 Hours. It is especially recommended for those who spend Valentine’s Day in proud and exuberant solitude.
Originally from sunny California, the city of San Diego, this trio gathered in the second half of the noughties. In March 2008, Brian Kelly, vocalist and guitarist, recruited drummer Eli Reinek and double bassist Ian Watson to collaborate. According to legend, they played their first concert a day after the first joint rehearsal, which served as the title of their debut album, released in the same year 2008. This is the album we’re talking about today.
On the Last 24 Hours, Californians resemble an enraged Chris Isaac, who traded falsetto for guitar overdrive. But if you can call HFH’s sound harsh, it’s only in comparison with Chris. For my taste, it’s just modern neo-rockabilly. The drums play quite familiar three-bit patterns, interspersed with swing, occasionally breaking into a punk d-beat polka. The double bass also does not create unnecessary madness, clicking no more and no less than it should. Even the frontman can’t be accused of being too eccentric! The guitar is loaded in moderation, and there are no mimetic tantrums on the vocals. It all sounds well-coordinated and high-quality. But the theme of the songs… oh yes, there are so many broken hearts here that it’s time to use them for culinary purposes so that they don’t go to waste.
Last 24 Hours (2008)
02 Dull Days Wild Nights
03 Last 24 Hours
04 Brokedown
05 You Will Always Be
06 Another Heartache
07 Devil Doll
08 Back to You
09 The Mourning After
10 At the Bar
11 Creature of the Night
Download or listen online the album Hard Fall Hearts – Last 24 Hours (2008) (mp3, 68 MB):
The album opens with a lively break with guitar accents, Slave to Love. This song marks the whole record very well: if you didn’t get that opening rumble followed by the riff, then it’s better not to try to listen any further. The song of a distraught would-be lover shows the full potential of the trio.
Dull Days, White Nights begins playfully, later turning into a fervent minor saikopunk, dedicated to the reverse side of the romance of wild nights.
Last 24 Hours also begins with an unpretentious gypsy, later developing into a wild cry of the soul of a lyrical hero who can not forget his ex in any way. This is a very diverse song, full of expression and having a couple of intricate musical metamorphoses. Well, which song is included in the album title is usually not tolerated, so it’s no wonder.
Brokedown continues the same theme as the previous track, but musically it is more straightforward. Although I was literally fascinated by the third verse, on such a slight failure. Oh why why why…
Deep in my heart You Will Always Be… yes, this song boasts a haunting chorus. Well, this line is for sure. I also really like Eli’s almost solo trainbeat here. But I can’t call the final vocalizations successful in any way: it’s not a punk thing to fly into the skies after ghost riders.
Another Headache begins with the aria of the snide devil. The most interesting moment in the song comes after a long guitar solo, while repeating the first verse. HFHS definitely know how to work with dynamics.
Devil Doll enters with the gait of a stray cat, relieving the remnants of a headache, starting to cheer up from the second verse. Overall, this song seems a bit long-winded to me.
And it is replaced by a cheerful Back To You. Finally, you can take a break from melancholy! A very lively vocal part framed by instruments makes you dance in any incomprehensible situation. It’s very good that they decided not to overdo it with guitar takes in this song.: It’s more honest and lively this way.
The Mourning After rushes in with a victorious revolutionary march. I really like the message of this song: the realization of past mistakes and the understanding that everything is much simpler in thought. Like Last 24 Hours, this song is very diverse, using a fairly modest set of instruments.
But the next track At the Bar is my favorite on the album. This contrast of the spirited inspired verse and the sad chorus. It’s a familiar feeling when all your coolness comes to an end at the last moment under the weight of inner feelings. Just fine!
At this point, in my opinion, it was most appropriate to end the album, since the lyrical hero of the album had done some work on himself to glue the broken heart muscle, but still we have another composition. As a postscript.
Apart from the rest of the Creature of the Night album, it sounds great. But here she’s just unremarkable after the powerful message of the previous song. And musically, she is too simple to be remembered against the background of the others.
This was my favorite album from back in 2008, which I would have wiped out if I could have wiped out the sound files. I can hardly think of a record that would better convey the pain of loss and the longing of unrequited love. Among millions of similar works, I have found my personal gem. And I really hope that you enjoyed it. Just don’t get carried away with such suffering in reality! What is good in art is rarely suitable for objective reality.
