The Arrest – 01
For their first album, Minnesota act The Arrest vowed to stick to the idea that they would only record what could be reproduced in a live setting. It shows, for ‘01′ is epic but also grounded and free of studio trickery. The result is a combination of the doomy euphoric sound of Doves mixed in with Springsteen-style earthiness.
‘01′ is satisfyingly multi-dimensional. The band are just as adept at crafting widescreen anthems such as ‘One x One’ and ‘Valentine’s Day’ as they are comfortable with writing American rockers like ‘The Surgeon’s Wife’ and ‘Transmission 01′. Only one track seems out of place; the workmanlike ‘The Tightrope’ recalls the earnest rock trappings of Nickelback. Yet the definite standout is ‘Sleepy John’ which revolves around a rich organ melody, a ringing guitar figure and an emotive vocal turn from Seth Doran. It even has time for an interlude of maddening percussion to make a special song even more special.
‘01′ avoids pastiche or plagiarism because of its unusual mix of influences. All the same, there are strong parallels to be drawn between Interpol’s ‘Our Love To Admire’; another powerful weighty album which showed there’s a heart beating underneath the sonic bluster. Just think what The Arrest could achieve on their own third album as this is a very strong debut.
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