aaamusic | On 13, Sep 2011

To Arms Etc. – S/T

 

Second album for Sven Sauber, Miriam Grundström, Daniel Martin, Charles Campbell-Jones and Arvid Bjurklint.

The five-piece from London hired Ben Thackeray and the result is twelve gems of arty pop. The Black Pampas is the song that Fiery Furnaces are still, trying to compose, while The Sword Swallower is a schizophrenic dive in the past of Progressive Rock.

The Depths projects the band into a more familiar (to them) indie atmosphere. To Arms Etc. never stop impressing the listener though, and Damned Stupid Rain, a vaudeville-sque jewel.

The Hurting is a classy homage to Tears For Fears that paves the way to the album’s coda, with Wicked Things, a song that owns the aura of a classic.

To Arms Etc. as a whole is doubtless already a classic. Don’t miss it out!

Author: Lorenzo Coretti