The Hundreds and Thousands – Self Titled

Toronto’s The Hundreds and Thousands’ self-titled debut fits right in with the modern indie alternative scene.  It doesn’t do much in terms of genre evolution, but that’s clearly not what The Hundreds and Thousands are here for.  The band fits the description of the essential energetic bandwagoners who love a sound so much they will probably stick with it for the duration of their career – long after their influences have called it quits or moved on to something new.

The band’s sound is best described as a guitar heavy version of Muse or Modest Mouse.  Lead vocalist Ian LeFeuvre sounds comparable to Muse’s Matthew Bellamy, featuring a similar tone and the same pulsating vibrato that draws words out far past their initial meaning.  For the most part LeFeuvre fits the part adequately but unremarkably.  A point of departure can be found in the frequency of fairly monotone, Strokes-like vocals outside of choruses, but they’re not really remarkable.  Ultimately, LeFeuvre is hit or miss.  There are tracks like “All Alone” where his voice feels exciting from start to finish, but on tracks like “Worker Bees” he seems to drone on blandly.

Musically, The Hundreds and Thousands are also fairly competent.  The guitars are fairly punchy, and an ever escalating and descending bass thumps along in the background.  Songs like “Days in Between” contain lengthy, indulgent bridges, finding obvious inspiration in acts like Coldplay or Radiohead.  Others, like “When You Want Yours” feature a few distorted soundboard scales for ambience.  It’s nothing you haven’t heard before, but still enough to make you tap your foot in time with it.

Lyrically the band has a theme built right into their name.  The Hundred and Thousands base their songs around the monotony and routine of the daily grind – the unfulfilling nature of modern employment and conformity plaguing daily life; “Rat Race” and “Worker Bees” being obvious example tracks.  While ambitious, albeit done before, the theme generally serves as a damper on the album’s energy, and might be the reason for the rather forgettable nature of their debut in general.

The Hundreds and Thousands debut is the type of album that will likely find warm reception today but will ultimately be left by the wayside once the scene moves on to something new.  Flaws aside, there’s a fair amount for genre enthusiasts and radio rockers to enjoy here, although I doubt the debut will leave a significant impression with listeners.