Music Reviews

Arlo

Stab the Unstoppable Hero

Sub Pop

In a broad sense, Arlo is just your run-of-the-mill, can’t-stop-singing-these-songs, retro pop band. Retro pop in the Cheap Trick chunky guitar way no less, trafficking in a sound which has been revisited many times through the years. Let’s just say that big booming riffs, vocal harmonies, and the ability to find yet another twist to a slight handful of chords all figure heavily in Arlo. The title track is a slithery combination of sing-song verse and gigantic wall of chorus, a clever bit about our unstoppable hero, Stab, who shudders at the sound of a telephone. “Silkworm” is another track that makes good use of the eternal tussle between clean chiming guitar and fuzzed gutter rumble, with vocal hooks aplenty. Arlo have definitely got something powerful brewing here, and it sounds like this is just the beginning.

Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com


Recently on Ink 19...

Swans

Swans

Event Reviews

40 years on, Michael Gira and Swans continue to bring a ritualistic experience that needs to be heard in order to be believed. Featured photo by Reese Cann.

Eclipse 2024

Eclipse 2024

Features

The biggest astronomical event of the decade coincides with a long overdue trip to Austin, Texas.

Sun Ra

Sun Ra

Music Reviews

At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976/1977 (Jazz Detective). Review by Bob Pomeroy.