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| Hint, The - When It Gets Dark Enough... | The Hint - When It Gets Dark Enough...
Record Label - Unsigned
Release Date - December 5, 2006
To say Baltimore, Maryland’s The Hint had one hell of a year in 2006 would be a vast understatement. Last year the relatively young band had their hands full touring both the U.K and the U.S., which included stops at SXSW in Austin, the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC, Warped Tour, and HFStival. During this time, the band managed to complete their debut album When It Gets Dark Enough…, which they co-produced with Paul Leavitt. That may seem impressive enough to some when talking about such a young band, but The Hint have also been able to work with Sal Villanueva, Matt Squire, Kenneth Mount & Zack Odom, Fred Kevorkian, and Scott Riebling. That is a rather long list of accomplishments for such a young band that is used to performing with some rather large names as well (Relient K, Circa Survive, and Head Automatica). Considering all of this occurred around the same time the band was working on their debut full-length, When It Gets Dark Enough… has a lot of hype to live up to.
The Hint kick off their debut with the moody rocker “American Band In London” which is a good song, but does not serve as a very effective opener. “Where Are You Now?”, however, would have made for an excellent opening track. Coupling keen melodies with simple yet catchy choruses, this is the sort of high-energy track The Hint should have used as their introduction to new fans listening to them for the first time rather than the less energetic “American Band In London”. The Hint are quite talented at crafting high-energy rock songs with strong pop sensibility, a talent that comes through exceptionally well on “Where Are You Now?” and “Two Oceans”. The band also exercise some of their artistic range on “Under A Blue Sky”, a song that exhibits a lyrical strength that is unrivaled by its predecessors and blends their ability to craft soaring choruses with a more varied musical palette.
The Hint seem to follow the same formula for most of their songs on both “Side A” and “Side B” (listing “Sides” on a CD is a little strange, don’t you think?), and then decide to open “Guess I’m Not That Strong” with one of the more aggressive, straightforward rock parts on the album. This track is the first time the band really mixes their penchant for the melodic with an aggressive punch, whereas other songs experiment with what I like to call “rock-lite”. The Hint may not be reinventing the wheel with their debut album, but the songs are highly enjoyable and are sure to be a hit for people who have a weak spot for pop-rock. The lyrics are a little weak and borderline cheesy at times, but for those who are looking for a solid pop-rock record that doesn’t make you feel ashamed when you are done listening to it, When It Gets Dark Enough… will be a suitable addition to your record collection. Paul Leavitt did a great job fleshing out the songs on this record and while When It Gets Dark Enough… did not strike me as a “spectacular” album, it does show a young band with a lot of raw talent and the potential to become a big name in the scene if they play their cards right. |
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Displaying posts 1 - 6 of 6. |
10:37 PM on 06/26/07 | This band once wanted like a $1000 guarantee to play at this festival we were putting on in Louisville. That was two years ago. Uh, we declined. | | |
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04:49 AM on 06/27/07 | I don't know ... I really enjoy this release. | | |
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12:19 PM on 06/27/07 | Originally Posted by Russ Hockenbury This band once wanted like a $1000 guarantee to play at this festival we were putting on in Louisville. That was two years ago. Uh, we declined. |
Yeah this release is decent, but that is pretty out of control haha
Originally Posted by FallonRulesI don't know ... I really enjoy this release. |
Its a good release, but it wasn't anything stellar for me. | | |
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12:24 PM on 06/27/07 | Good review. I've seen a bunch of flyers for their shows in the DC area but haven't heard much about their music. I think they got on a "best unsigned band" list recently.
And guess what? When you hold their logo/album cover to a mirror, it reads "The Hint!" | | |
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10:22 PM on 06/27/07 | these are honestly the nicest and hands-down most hard-working band ive had the pleasure knowing. in my opinion, the best band out of the marlyand area.
did you have any feelings on 'Feels Like Love' rich? (my fav song by them) | | |
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