Labels: self released
Review by: Andy Malcolm
I like that the promo sheet says “Arson Is For Lovers” is “the kind of record that probably won’t reach the top of your best of all time list”. Makes a change from the usual gushing plaudits that insist that run of the mill bands are the greatest thing since the invention of music. It’s a very realistic statement. This CD certainly won’t come close to making said list. Not that Merit is terrible or anything, it’s just a trifle bland. It’s kind of like the 2nd Hey Mercedes LP (crossed with a painfully obscure band called Nymb), a record that I do have a bit of time for, but with inferior song writing and no Bob Nanna. Merit like crunchy guitars, and Brenna Merritt’s vocals are enjoyable, giving a bit of extra punch to the bulked up guitars that ultimately lack nutritional value. The best stuff is when they ease off the pedal such as on the rather pleasant “Mourning Dove”, which shuffles jangling into earshot and is rather soothing to these broken ears. Naturally, it builds up and gets a bit cheesier, but it’s the pick of the bunch on offer.
I also like that the promo sheet tells you how to write the review “You probably won’t toss out words like heart-wrenching or melancholy during any of these songs”. Ok, I won’t. Thanks for the tip! The music is decent though, and I didn’t suffer during my run through but I really can’t see myself ever going back to this rather light affair of poppy indie rock. Not bad, just not the kind of thing that you are probably going to get much mileage out of.