Arrows Modern Art and Politics

Arrows 'Modern Art and Politics' (Hobbledehoy 2008)

The turn of the century and the early 2000s were lean years for emo. Obviously bands like My Chemical Wedding became huge and emo became a mainstream phenomenon with kids straightening their hair, getting sleeve tattoos, flesh tunnels and pretending The Smiths were their favourite band after Dashboard Confessional. However, the emo that I was a fan of, later pigeonholed as mid-west, indie rock or even pop punk, seemed to have lost its way, with only really Jimmy Eat World and Sense Field keeping the flame burning.

Mineral were gone, Texas is the Reason were gone, Christie Front Drive were gone. I was left with only their old records to gently weep over when in need of some passionate rock, or to despair over the steady decline of output from once revered heroes, witness Zookeeper and New Sons Rising as perfect examples.
Finchy never gave up hope though and one day he presented me with a copy of this album and I was hooked. Released on the Hobbledehoy label, run by the lovely Tom, this is a masterpiece of understated, overwrought, melancholic rocking emo.

The CD release was a great package with a fine looking digipack, but the vinyl edition, limited to 102 copies, is a work of art. Beautiful packaging, heavyweight double vinyl and a sound with a warmth that adds so much more to the already familiar tracks.

The album has Mineral, Garrison and Christie Front Drive as its spine with amazing loud quiet dynamics soundtracking the Pedro the Lion influenced chronicles of hard drinking heartache. The drumming is up there with Texas is the Reason and the vocals remind of Chamberlain meets Peter Gabriel.

It all sounds very unoriginal and derivative when put like that, but Arrows transcend their influences and they are offering homage rather than being mere copy cats.

A brilliant record which stands up to listen after listen despite the fact that it's about 15 minutes too long. Put the three best songs on their follow up 'Try and Stay Upright' and edit 'Whores will have their Trinkets' and 'Some Novel I'm Writing' and you would have a masterpiece up there with 'End Serenading'. This band is so good I have actually thought of travelling to Australia to see them.

'I hear fire trucks from cross town and I wonder if they're coming here
To ease the burning in my chest from last night's failed conquest.'

Peace