Desperate to come up with a new movement to capture the public imagination, the music press have invented 'emo' - a term which apparently refers to punk-rock bands who are, well, very emotional. Ignoring the objection that this description could apply to literally thousands of bands throughout history, Hundred Reasons have been mercilessly hyped as the leaders of this supposedly thrilling new scene. The irony is that the Aldershot quintet shouldn't need any such help, since their debut album reveals them to be a perfectly good band in their own right. Now that James are gone there's a gap in the market for epic, anthemic pop and gangling singer Colin Doran and co fill it nicely with this invigorating blast of heavy riffs, passionate vocals and overriding sense of integrity. Along with Electric Soft Parade and The Temple Cooper Clause, Hundred Reasons stand as one of British rock's most exciting discoveries of the year - meaningless label or not.
