aaamusic | On 29, Jun 2011

The Blood Arm return to the UK with brand new album, Turn And Face Me. Their sound comes across like something taken from an alternate universe, where Dexys Midnight Runners, Elvis Costello And The Attractions and Adam And The Ants formed a super group and updated their sound for the new millennium.

Originally from LA, the four-piece are Nathaniel Fregoso (vocals), Dyan Valdés (Keyboards), Zebastian Carlisle (guitar) and Zachary Amos (drums). They began as the brainchild of UCLA film student, Nathaniel, and weren’t fully realised until he met guitarist Zebastian in a karaoke bar in Koreatown. The two came together to start molding their sound, and it wasn’t long before they invited classically trained pianist, Dyan and microbiology student Zachary to join the group, creating the final line up of what is set to be one of the hottest bands this year. They’ve already made waves in this country, with debut album Lie Lover Lie and single Suspicious Character being praised by UK publications such as the NME (8/10), Artrocker Magazine (“best debut album of the year”) and The Guardian (5/5), while their energetic live shows, touring alongside The Killers, Maximo Park and Hot Hot Heat (to name but a few), have won over British audiences. They’re also no strangers to hearing their music appear on screen, having already been featured in the blockbuster creature feature Cloverfield as well as US Television sensations The OC, Gossip Girl and the US version of Shameless.

The Blood Arm – Introducing Randy Newman by abadgeoffriendship

Their second album, Turn And Face Me, is an amalgamation of everything that made the late 70s pub rock and punk scene such an exciting period, with more than a heady dash of first wave Brit pop. The explosive opener “She’s A Guillotine” is a blend of tribal drums, classic rock ‘n’ roll guitar and a backing track filled with organs, piano and percussion that will get listeners jumping out of their seats and on to the dance floors. It’s a fantastic introduction to the rest of the album, and leaves you with no doubt that the rest of this release is going to be a real barn stormer. “Relentless Love” completely strips down the production, allowing Nathaniel’s vocals to take the limelight, layered over the top of minimalist drum machine, uncluttered guitar and simple, yet effective hooks. The rest of the album sounds like an instant party, each track creating an atmosphere that’s fun, exciting and almost impossible not to stomp your feet to. It closes with “Forever Is Strange”, a slow tempo torch song that allows listeners to come back down to earth after the fast paced experience of the previous 11 tracks. It’s a great way to wrap up the proceedings, but the urge to play the whole album again from beginning to end is almost too delicious to resist.

The band are heavily influenced by fellow UCLA students, The Doors, Manchester noisemakers The Fall and godfather of soul, James Brown. With the album’s UK release set for July 4th, the sky really is the limit for The Blood Arm.