Hour - Subminiature

A Closer Listen

Subminiature gives us a new way to appreciate Hour.  The live album collects performances from multiple locations in a spoke radiating around the ensemble’s Philadelphia home.  Five tracks are included from the first album (including two versions of “Doxology”), four from the second and five from last year’s Ease the Work, as well as a surprising cover of Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces,” vocals intact.  There must have been quite a discussion over which pieces to include, as Hour doesn’t have any bad tracks; the decision was made based on the renditions.

Hour has always sounded live a live band, albeit a live band in a living room or loft.  The intimacy is palpable on this set, no matter the location.  Three tracks come from a single performance at New Hampshire’s The Loading Dock, three from one at Philimoca in Philly, two from their local Foto Club, two from Peaks Island, Maine, two from Cassette, New York (which is sadly not a town but a cocktail bar) and three orphans.  Ironically, the performance of “Beautiful, OH” comes from Maine and not Cleveland.  The tracks are carefully sequenced for album flow, and we suspect they mirror the order of tracks in concert, as they are grouped neither by album nor by location.  The only exception: the one-two opening punch of “At the Bar Where You Literally Saved Me from Fatal Heartbreak” (one of the best titles ever!) and “Hallmark,” both from Philamoca.

The original “At the Bar” appears on Anemone Red, the sixth track in a set of nine, and if tracks had feelings, this one would likely be chuffed to have been promoted to lead-off hitter.  The live version is a minute shorter, but it’s not like the band sped it up; the tempo remains languid.  Instead, one might call the piece consolidated.  But there are also a dozen musicians playing on the live version, four more than on the original, which represents one of the best reasons to release a live album: an expanded roster means an expanded sound.  One can see this in the video (and by the way, $15 admission?  What a bargain!)  The sound is fuller, deeper, and in the center, darker, which makes the mid-piece emergence into the light all the more effective;, one feels the heartbreak before the salvation.  Snow falls gently on the screen as the music fades to flurries. In contrast, “Hallmark” is shorter, but has more ebullient woodwinds, perfect for an album released on Valentine’s Day.

In 2018, Tiny Houses hosted an ensemble only six strong, so another blessing of the live set is to hear how these pieces have developed over time.  The trick is that they retain their homespun feel.  “Beautiful OH” is still a wisp of a composition; “From a Bus Window in Central Ohio, Just Before a Thunder Shower” (also caught in a Philadelphia performance) is a bit slower, even more pensive.  The second version of “Dox,” which closes the live set, is a reinvention: twice as long, rife with improvisation, in no hurry to end, not a single attendee in a rush to get home.

With Subminiature, Hour has brought us something old and something new.  On their winter tour, as they expand their reach even further, others will be able to experience their magic in person; for now, the world has this Valentine’s Day gift.  (Richard Allen)