This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“Nothing lasts, it always fades, slips away … I can barely breathe,” Dakota Suite singer Chris Hooson quietly moans on the title track to Signal Hill. Suffice to say he’s not exactly the life of the party.
In fact, he’s more like that weird guy who shows up, sits alone in a corner until everyone else is gone, then stays up all night telling you about all the creepy, depressing stuff going on in his life. And like rubbernecking at an accident, it’s impossible to tear yourself away from this English sadcore outfit’s enthralling lo-fi delivery, which backs up its sleepy melodies, lazy guitars and gloomy ambience with exceptionally tasteful drumming and invigoratingly spacy production. With the bleak outlook of Red House Painters and the sparse intimacy of Josh Rouse, Hooson isn’t the only one who’ll be breathless.
