Labels: self released
Review by: Oli Saunders
Wow I have not written a screamo review for over three weeks. Here to start things up again is a mini CDr from Bare Arms which I believe came out sometime this year. Yet another obscure Aussie band who I’ve only just found out about and who deserve a bit of attention.
Bare Arms consist of four members including two females in the band, both contributing vocals. I can hear elements of the typical modern screamo style going on – particularly in the chord progressions in places – along with general Aussie influences, again in the guitar sound and the general song constructions. Aussie bands more than any other seem to often completely change the pace of a song and this happens here many times.
The music has a fair bit of originality too – you will probably disagree that it is even screamo – there are piercing vocals for the most part, not fully screamed but still harsh sounding. In other places there are spoken parts and then on occasion some beautifully sung vocals. Sung vocals tend to put me off the music when guys do it as it just comes across as whiny but when women do it it almost always adds to things for me. Comparisons could be made with 1905 and later Majorca I guess but that’s just name dropping two other bands with female vocalists and Bare Arms deserve more than that.
I’m really keen on all the tracks. Some are better than others buts it’s all really solid stuff. The first track ‘The Refrain’ is a great opening. The last song ‘South Coast Line’ is probably my favourite. It contains a melodic twinkly introduction that slowly builds up with half sung half spoken vocals from the main vocalist and singing from the drummer, before exploding in the latter stages, calming down and then going for it again. Overall, really nice stuff!
24th October 2009