Review Summary: An interesting take on progressive hardcore.
The cordial reception of
Tail Swallower and Dove is unlike the typical experimental These Arms Are Snakes album. That’s not to say this record isn’t as unique and interesting as the bands past work, however on
Dove, there is a new side of the band that has been hinted at on anything they’ve ever done together. The accessible potential of These Arms music was hardly utilized in the past – some fans may claim this was for the better, but I think there is a certain beauty in music that can both pertain to an original style and simultaneously reach out to new fans. With songs such as ‘Prince Squid’, ‘Lucifer’, ‘Lead Beater’ and ‘Seven Curtains’
Tail Swallower and Dove accesses These Arms powerful ability to create something that could very well pave the way for an entirely new musical mentality.
Emotional and brooding as
Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps…, yet melodic and rocky as
Easter Tail Swallower will situate you with a fantastic summary of the music on this album. In tracks one through three we will hear qualities of cathartic art present in the infectious guitar line on ‘Red Line Season’ as much as it is within the harmonious chanting on the opening track ‘Woolen Heirs’. Conforming to nothing, These Arms Are Snakes expertly feel their way through a genre all their own; the album’s most notable aspect is its tendency to evolve through its own songs, as in the first few tracks we hear an ambitious yet combustible style that attacks and soothes, can be danced to and can be played in the middle of the night in a dark room to ease yourself to sleep.
Speaking of evolution through the songs, the album manages to sprinkle progressive rock into its steaming cauldron of styles. ‘Ethric Double’ is one of the best songs I have heard all of 2008 for one, and secondly it explains why These Arms had the desire to work on something with such varying musicality. The progressive intentions flow well, they put the instrumental abilities of this band on the forefront and the band absolutely slays. Imagine the song ‘Idaho’ from
Oxeneers sporting a far more intense take on
Easter’s hard-hitting style. The song will caress your ears with pounding power chords as well as luscious, complex instrumental flow.
These Arms Are Snakes are well-known for their unique utilization of KORG products in their songs, which is greatly toned down on this record but still sets an extra-terrestrial mood for songs like ‘Lead Beater’ (perhaps one of the worst songs and still it perfected the nonchalant delivery of progressive tendencies) and ‘Lucifer’. ‘Lucifer’ is a highly recommended track if you are looking to get into the more aggressively entertaining side of this album and it may be the bait that hooks you into These Arms new world.
On an album that seems so well executed it is certainly tough to speak ill of it, however if it were perfect I believe it would have received far more recognition. As I said, this album is far more accessible than anything the group has ever done – but a band as intricate as These Arms Are Snakes must make sacrifices in order to record something like that. Instead of engaging the listener in a more insightful journey into the minds of the band,
Tail Swallower mopes about the outskirts of intellectual music, preferring to be quite abrupt and menacing.
I've been jumping bodies trying and crying to get back to you
The last one I had shot his face off too soon
I found me a love doctor who swapped me out of that one to the new
Baby, when it's over you won't be hard to find
I'll find another cavity and carousel my way to you
With lyrics that don’t try very hard to convey their meaning, and instrumentals that compliment such simplistic lyricism,
Tail Swallower isn’t as transcendent as one may believe after their first listen. Of course the band polishes their progressive rock for this piece, however it is a kind of progressive that swallows its pride and basically hinders the potential for extensive depth of the bands newfound stylistics. In other words the good is the bad on this album, and while it should be widely received with open arms, fans should express to These Arms Are Snakes far more than praise; the album can help the band go up or down at this point. If the rockier attitude continues These Arms perhaps will forget about the meaningful existence of music that doesn’t pertain to the tastes of the masses, and that would be a sad day.
In conclusion
Tail Swallower and Dove can easily find its way into the collections of new and old fans alike. I take pleasure in looking forwards to These Arms future releases, as the conclusive track on this album, ‘Briggs’, eliminates the hopes a new fan may have about the band becoming entirely a punk-rock act. It serves as a fitting end to a fine work. I would recommend this album to anybody looking for a new side of hardcore punk music, one that isn’t
too inviting yet not too alien either.
