A welcomed departure.
Brian Belardi (belardi81@aol.com) | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/01/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is Hurricane #1's true debut. While the band did release an LP in '97, it was written before the band had even met for the first time, which they did in the studio to record those songs. Be it a debut or sophomore album, Only the Strongest Will Survive is quite an achievement. It seems as if Hurricane #1 has discovered their own respective place in music, instead of blindly pumping out Britpop. Indeed, this is a much more pointed and personal album, as Andy Bell's songwriting takes a turn toward the profound. Alex Lowe makes a contribution as well, offering the slow-building anthem "What Do I Know?" The instrumentation shows signs of progression as well, as more of the beats are hip-hop infused. The bass can get very funky at times, like on "Twilight World." Now, on to the songs...The first attention grabber is "The Greatest High," which is very deceivingly titled. The song contains more angst than optimism, but is quite anthemic nonetheless. However they did the vocals sure sound cool..."Remote Control" seems to focus its criticism towards all those who are capable of making a decision without considering the consequences. I guess it helps that it flows into the ear easily, too."The Price That We Pay" is the album's acoustic, and definitely stands out. Gotta love the lyric "And the time that we stole in Garden of Eden was worth the price that we pay/ no regrets, no revivals, no tears/ it's a brand new day."The centerpiece of the album is the title track, which begins with strings very similar to those of Whatever by Oasis. However, after the strings fade out, the hip-hop beat moves in, which is actually quite confusing. It's a great song about how it can be easier to tolerate pain than it can be to see pleasure disappear. "Afterhours" is the most melancholy of the songs, with backing vocals by Andy's wife Idha. This song, and maybe "Come Alive," show that Andy hasn't yet forgotten what Ride was all about.The other songs (and there are a lot of them) are all quite good, these are just some of the highlights. It's a really good album, it's a shame that they don't get any press."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1