The Hungry I - The Beginning Is The End
[Against The Media]

We’re now well and truly into the age of the free download. The only question being, why did it take so long for it to happen? Whether Radiohead will be forever known as the catalyst for change is irrelevant, the fact of the matter is, bands and artists are beginning to realize the marketing potential of giving their music away for free. Nowhere near the as contrived as the business ploy behind the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Sandi Thom (yeah, we really believe you gained your extensive fanbase online!) The Hungry I are also offering a free download single in a bid to get the music out to the masses.

It has been a while since we last heard from Jon Stolber’s The Hungry I and it seems he has been a busy man, adding a couple of new members, including Angry Ape fave EL Heath, as well as honing the overall sound. Gone are the Muse on a trip-hop binge stylings of previous efforts. Gone too, is Stolber’s spine-tingling vocal range, for this track at least. “The Beginning Is the End” finds The Hungry I in an enigmatic instrumental setting. It is a sound that they are comfortable with too.

Well almost! “The Beginning...” starts rather too tentatively, giving off an impression that there was a severe bout of navel-gazing at the initial recording process. The introductory guitar line seems unsure of itself around the light percussion and EL Heath’s martenot washes. All it takes though is a little urgency in the tempo and the addition of icy glockenspiel and the track gains new confidence. The martenot and violin meet, mingle and then dance together gracefully. The guitar waits patiently in the wings for its turn before delivering a towering line, while wondering why it was so unsure of itself in the first place. Make no mistake, the guitar here gives the song a real epic thrust, as The Hungry I arc this number skywards.

An intriguing development in The Hungry I sound for sure, “The Beginning Is the End” will remove any lingering doubts, between band members, about this shift in sound. Not only have they come up with an engaging instrumental number, which is no mean feat in this current post-rock saturated climate, they have also added another string to their already impressive bow.