Review Summary: Arc & Stones have the potential to bring meaningful music back into the mainstream
Arc & Stones are a four-piece rock band from New York City who seem to have an exciting future ahead of them. Playing a well-executed brand of alternative/blues rock, this self-titled debut EP is a brief but promising sign of things to come.
What should be most immediately apparent about this release is that it is not particularly original or innovative, so going into this expecting something that’s going to change the face of music will only lead to severe disappointment. What is here, though, is a selection of well-crafted and meaningful anthemic rock tunes that will have you singing along in no time.
Opener “Silence” is an excellent introduction to the group’s sound and stands as perhaps the best song on the EP. Starting off slowly before building up to a memorable chorus, “Silence” perfectly demonstrates the multiple sides to the group’s sound and is a great example of how to create an inspiring rock anthem.
“Say Goodbye” implements even more bluesy and soulful elements and sees the group really rocking out towards the end. Following that is “Let Me Down”, a definite highlight of the
Arc & Stones EP that sounds similar to some of
Kings of Leon’s slower tunes. The chorus is extremely catchy once again and there is a good deal of emotional power underlying the song, giving the EP some much-needed weight.
“She’s Mine” and “Rise” see the band at their most upbeat but are surprisingly two of the weaker tracks on this release. This is not to say that they are bad – they are, in fact, very enjoyable – but they simply do not match up to the high quality established by the first three songs. Still, “She’s Mine” is perhaps the most energetic piece on the EP and “Rise” is an effective closer, so very little is taken away from the overall quality.
Arc & Stones have showed with their debut EP that they have the potential to bring meaningful music back into the mainstream. Whether they will be able to achieve the same effect in a full-length album remains to be seen, but this is one group that you should definitely keep an eye on.
