Welsh emostars give the miners strikes of the eighties' the emo touch
When did Funeral for a Friend become so emo? It's all a bit wimpy, and where there was once some decent screamo is now something a bit, well, disappointing. Live, Funeral can still cut it just about, but on record is a different matter altogether. Where 'Streetcar' worked as a single, 'History' almost fails to make a decent impression.
The fact that it's based on the miners' strikes in the mid-eighties makes it worse. If you're going to have a song that based on historical events at least make sure there's some backbone to it, even if you're not a political band, instead of making it sound as if it's just another song about a girl. But, that's probably a rather harsh line to take. If I'm being totally fair, the chorus is pretty lush, and the lines of 'Archers in your arches/Raise your fingers for one last salute' is quite poignant.
All in all, there may be better songs on 'Hours' and it might seem a bit weak, but actually 'History' isn't a bad song. There are far worse efforts in the charts, and at least this is about something worthwhile.