After the mighty T & C and Impurity...

[peternotbaldyet]

There's another thread at the moment about Eight and some of the comments reminded me about The Love of Hopeless Causes. I was so looking forward to that album after the previous two, but when I heard it, it left me cold and it took years and years to really appreciate it. It seemed to have lost the subtlety of the previous albums. I know BDAW sharply divided fans. Did anyone else get that with LHOC or was it just me?

[Master Ray]

There's another thread at the moment about Eight and some of the comments reminded me about The Love of Hopeless Causes. I was so looking forward to that album after the previous two, but when I heard it, it left me cold and it took years and years to really appreciate it. It seemed to have lost the subtlety of the previous albums. I know BDAW sharply divided fans. Did anyone else get that with LHOC or was it just me?

Yes and yes again.  TLOHC disappointed me at first, mainly because of my insane love for Impurity... I've grown to love it more over the years, but it still isn't one of my faves... even though Fate and Bad Old World are two of my favourites... the b-sides released over that period are IMO better than what was on the album.

But it seems to be a favourite amongst many fans... what do we know?   

[Rusco]

When it was released I immediately found the first 4-5 songs to be powerful ones. I think the time then in the world could be heard from the album. It was a big change with generations and worldwide period of depression. I enjoy the album but have to admit its sound was a bit "sad" in it.

[Intothewind]

I totally agree, although I think my taste in music was changing to at this point. I kinda wish they'd stuck with the violins for 1 more album. I seem to remember Justin saying how it was a conscious decision to drop them at this point because they didn't want to get boxed in as a certain type of band. Probably a wise decision in the long run but I feel like they might have become very big at this point and maybe even followed The Levellers into the charts.

As I say this might not have helped their independence and longevity but I would've liked more Celtic tinged rock at the time (and even now!). I do like this album now - Bad old world is a fave! But along with Strange Brotherhood remains 1 of my 2 least listened to albums.       

[Pol]

I'm on the other side of the fence I've always loved lohc and it will always be one of my favourite lps. Maybe i could just relate to it more, when it came out my life was in a bad place and the songs just spoke to me. Never been a big fan of here comes the war though.

[huwcamden]

Lohc instantly resonated with me more than other nma albums, the back to basics rock approach and the melancholy throughout, i felt at the time it was their reaction to the nirvana revolution in music but looking back it was probably just them wanting to do something different, either way it was possibly their most defining change in direction, never felt here comes the war fitted the over all sound though superb song as it is.

[Shush]

Peter, felt exactly the same with LOHC. Was not the follow up to the last two albums I hoped it would be. Have always regarded it as my least favourite NMA album. I think that feeling has stayed with me but that said, I can listen to the album from start to finish and enjoy it. I suppose as a fan of the band, least favourite is still good.
                For me things were back on track with "Strange Brotherhood".

[Master Ray]

Yes, Shush, love SB as I've mentioned before... still surprised about how Justin doesn't seem to rate it very highly...

[Rusco]

But there are also very noticeable and interesting details with LOHC too. The Afternoon Song which was mixed by Riku Mattila; These Things which is one of the best of acoustic songs by NMA; and at least Bad Old World. I also think that My People should be noticed longside other similar type of songs such as Stormclouds, My Country and the Charge.

[Anna Woman von NRW]

I do remember feeling a bit under-whelmed when I first got LOHC. I think it seemed a bit disjointed and just didn't “hang together” as an album.

But as it turns out 22 years after it's release it's got 6 songs on it I still listen to a fair bit so it couldn't have been that bad could it 

[Space]

First impression:
Last breath of a dying band.

I came to "Hopeless Causes" a bit differently than everybody. After "Thunder and Consolation" (because of the beginning of "Green and Grey" sounding like Yes' "Roundabout") I was completely put off by NMA and didn't buy an NMA record for six years. How could this muscular, hard rocking band give us so much acoustic crap and even steal from the worst band on Earth, Yes? I was gutted. What the hell happened to savage tunes like "Vengeance," "Frightened," "Western Dream," "Master Race"? Now they give us bad versions of the intro to Yes's "Roundabout." I stopped buying NMA records and went full tilt into the Seattle sound. There was hard rocking. There was savage guitar sounds. NMA were a great band that had its day. Over. Finished. Done.

Then one Christmas six years later I saw they had a new album called "Hopeless Causes" out. I just put it on my list (I wasn't going to buy it) and Santa delivered it. When I opened it, sadness set in. Just ten songs. No pictures of the band (they must be balding, fat old farts). Even the album title conveyed that the band itself was nothing now but a hopeless cause. Just a sad release. Nothing special at all. Sad. This once mighty band is now releasing an album of just ten songs, poorly packaged, not even brave enough to put their faces to the work. Sad.

Then I played it.

YESSSSSSS! "Here Comes The War" is not only one of the mightiest NMA songs ever, it is one of the greatest ass-kiccking rock songs in history. "Young money men play paintball games!" The rest of the album could be the boys covering Partridge Family tunes, but with that one lyric and the way Justin sings it the album would be worth every cent. Oh, man, that line and the way he sings it is better than anything Elvis, Lennon, Dylan, Shakespeare, Michelangelo ever did. "Young money men play paintball gamessssss! Here comes the WAAAAAAR!" Go back and listen to it again. Understand why NMA are millions of miles above everyone else (except The Beatles and Prince).

And the rest of the album isn't just Partridge Family covers. I listened to it, and, yeah, nothing matches the savage power of "Here comes the WAAAAAAR!," but there are some interesting as hell, top songs on the lp."Living In The Rose," "Afternoon Song," and the non-sleep inducing acoustic tune "These Words" are the standout tracks. The other tracks are mostly weak, so we get four out of ten songs that are good. Not a good ratio, but as I said "Yound money men play paintball games" makes the album worth every penny.

So after six years away I got to re-visit my old friends. Were they as young and vital as I last remember them? No. But the initial sadness upon putting my hands on "LOHC" turned to excitement and I went out and bought the two lps I skipped ("Raw Melody Men" and "Impurity") and I never strayed from NMA again.

Final impression:
"Hopeless Causes" was the album that got me back into New Model Army. That's a good thing. Always will have a soft spot in my heart for that album.

[Master Ray]

Understand why NMA are millions of miles above everyone else (except The Beatles and Prince).

Or Katy Perry?

Kudos for the Prince reference though.  Between 1984 and about 1994, the man was awesome.

[Bunny]

I think when you look back at albums they can be viewed in the time they were released and as a development of the/any band. If theyd carried on making "folk rock" after "post punk" (Im using labels loosely!), they may not be the band they are now and we wouldnt have got the albums we have now if that makes sense.

To me its a natural progression album, as they have all been. An album to break the mould and first away from EMI if I remember correctly. I love it. But then I love all of them.

On a personal not it was the second studio album I bought by them. Id heard the early stuff in my late teens but not really listened until Impurity. I cant remember how but I was on holiday in Somerset and played it to death. I got Raw Melody Men on the back of that and History but LOHC was the first "proper" album after those. And it bowled me over at a time I hit a low in life.

Ive already explained elsewhere how Bad Old World had an impact two years ago. Thats the mark of an album in my view.

[BobG]

I loved Hopeless Causes right from the first listen. I don't think I could name an absolute favourite NMA album, but LOHC is certainly in the top 3. As well as some great songs (HCTW, Fate, White light, BOW especially, but amongst the others there's not one weak track) I really like the overall sound. Not quite sure what the correct terms would be, but it's bright and crisp and throbbing with energy. The production seems to match the power of the songs really well.

The only way I feel it could have been improved would have been by somehow sneaking Modern Times and Ghost of your Father in there as well. But maybe they had to be kept aside to fulfil the NMA tradition of magnificent B sides...

[Johnz]

I loved Hopeless Causes right from the first listen. I don't think I could name an absolute favourite NMA album, but LOHC is certainly in the top 3. As well as some great songs (HCTW, Fate, White light, BOW especially, but amongst the others there's not one weak track) I really like the overall sound. Not quite sure what the correct terms would be, but it's bright and crisp and throbbing with energy. The production seems to match the power of the songs really well.

The only way I feel it could have been improved would have been by somehow sneaking Modern Times and Ghost of your Father in there as well. But maybe they had to be kept aside to fulfil the NMA tradition of magnificent B sides...

Pretty much how I see it.