1) Formed by guitarist Brick Williams, Hourglass is a Progressive Metal group from Utah, USA. The band's first effort was the hard-to-come-by "This Lonely Time and Place," followed up by the much more polished "The Journey Into" in 2002 and 2004's "Subconscious." The band released the double album "Oblivious to the Obvious" on February 19, 2009.
54 months is a long time to work on an album. But that is exactly how long it took Hourglass to finish their new double album "Oblivious to the Obvious." Four and a half years of writing, recording, mixing, mastering and the result is 139 minutes worth of music. Even though it is a lot of music, it is only 10 songs. Hourglass has never worried too much about the length of their songs, and epic songs have always been a part of what the band does. "Oblivious to the Obvious" is no exception. The album has a little of everything, from heavy metal riffs and screaming vocals, to laid back piano and acoustic passages, and some very tasteful groove sections. Vocal harmonies are scattered throughout the album as are many guitar, keyboard, and even bass solos. There is something for everyone on "Oblivious to the Obvious."
The band has gone through numerous personnel changes with Williams as the sole constant. Current drummer John Dunston replaced Zachary Taylor for "The Journey Into." Founding keyboardist Eric Robertson and current keyboardist Jerry Stenquist have traded seats twice, with Robertson playing on "This Lonely Time and Place" and "Subconscious," and Stenquist playing on "The Journey Into" and "Oblivious to the Obvious."
Bassist Jon Berrett played on the first two albums, then Clark Woolstenhulme played on "Subconscious," and the bass chair is currently held by one-time Hourglass vocalist Eric Blood for "Oblivious to the Obvious."
A different vocalist has performed on each album, with Jon Shumway on "This Lonely Time and Place," Chad Neth on "The Journey Into," Cody Walker on "Subconscious," and Michael Turner for "Oblivious to the Obvious."
Hourglass takes strong influences from Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Rush, and many other prog metal, prog rock, and classic rock outfits. The band enjoys a local following in the greater Salt Lake City area, and has significant fan bases in Europe and Scandinavia. All their albums have been independently released and financed by the band or individual band members.
2) 90's emo band. Their discography includes a seven inch on Immigrant Sun and a split with New Day Rising on Moo Cow .
3) Hip-Hop producer based out of Los Angeles, California.
Faces
Hourglass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yet somehow I'm feeling alone
Never liked the situation
Never dealt with isolation
A desolate wasteland
Teeming with countless people
It is an effort to withstand
Swimming in a sea of faces
Faces moving to a sea of places
Places to go, just crowded spaces
Spaces to run in futile races
The streets might as well be empty
It's not like anyone is talking
Just hurrying on their way
Acting as if there's nothing to say
Infinite as sand
They stream down every street
And I am witnessing firsthand
The results of their endless silence
Swimming in a sea of faces
Faces moving to a sea of places
Places to go, just crowded spaces
Spaces to run in futile races
In a boat with just one oar
Another person they'd ignore
The tide pulls me in
But to what avail?
Fruitlessness in success
Nothingness in surety
Hollowness in substance
Worthlessness in riches
Living, but to no avail
Swimming in a sea of faces
Faces moving to a sea of places
Places to go, just crowded spaces
Spaces to run in futile races
The lyrics to Hourglass’s song, Faces, speaks to the feeling of loneliness that one can encounter, despite being surrounded by a throng of people. The first verse articulates the singer's frustration towards the situation and how they have difficulty dealing with isolation despite being in a populated space. The second verse further describes the situation as a desolate wasteland, with countless people coming and going, and the effort it takes to withstand the assault of their silence. The pre-chorus talks about the endlessness of people around, and the streets might as well be empty as there is no connection between people. The chorus, with its repetition of swimming in a sea of faces, moving to a sea of places, with crowded spaces to run in futile races, highlights the futility of the situation.
The third verse expands on the futility, where the singer feels like they are in a boat with only one oar while others would probably ignore them. The tide pulls them, but to what avail? The last verse speaks about the obviousness of success, surety, substance, and richness in life, but somehow it feels empty and worthless. The loneliness doesn’t go away despite all the achievements. Hourglass's Faces is a poignant song that speaks to the isolation that many of us have experienced in crowded situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Side by side in a throng of people
Amidst many individuals, near but not actually together
Yet somehow I'm feeling alone
The feeling of loneliness despite being surrounded by many people
Never liked the situation
Being uncomfortable in such circumstances
Never dealt with isolation
Not understanding how to cope with being alone
A desolate wasteland
Empty and barren surroundings
Teeming with countless people
Filled with a huge number of individuals
It is an effort to withstand
Difficult to endure such an environment
The assault of their endless silence
Feeling attacked by the continuous lack of speech around
Swimming in a sea of faces
Being lost and unnoticed in a crowd
Faces moving to a sea of places
People moving around without purpose or aim
Places to go, just crowded spaces
No specific destination, just crowded areas
Spaces to run in futile races
Running without purpose in a never-ending race
The streets might as well be empty
Despite being full, it's as if the streets are empty due to the lack of connectivity or interaction
It's not like anyone is talking
No one engaging in conversation
Just hurrying on their way
Everyone in a rush to reach somewhere
Acting as if there's nothing to say
No communication due to being lost in one's own world
Infinite as sand
Countless in number, like grains of sand
They stream down every street
People moving on every street without interacting with each other
And I am witnessing firsthand
The observer of this phenomenon
The results of their endless silence
The consequences of the lack of communication
In a boat with just one oar
Stranded alone with limited resources
Another person they'd ignore
Others ignoring and not helping
The tide pulls me in
Feeling dragged by the challenges of the situation
But to what avail?
What is the purpose of all this struggle?
Fruitlessness in success
Success not providing any sense of fulfillment
Nothingness in surety
Feeling empty despite being sure about things
Hollowness in substance
Lacking depth and real value
Worthlessness in riches
Money not providing any true worth or value
Living, but to no avail
Being alive but feeling like it's meaningless
Swimming in a sea of faces
Being lost in the crowd and feeling insignificant
Faces moving to a sea of places
People moving around without any purpose or aim
Places to go, just crowded spaces
Being surrounded by spaces that are just busy but offer no real value or purpose
Spaces to run in futile races
The never-ending race in life that offers no real meaning or value
Contributed by Henry H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.