CRUD MUSIC MAGAZINE
REVIEWS::NEWS::CRUD - MYSPACE::NEW RELEASES::PREVIEWS::HOME
 
WARCHILD
 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
MEDIA STREAM PREVIEW
The Corrections
 MUSIC TITLE
  Barcode [video]
 MUSIC LABEL
  EMI Records
  DOWNLOAD HERE  
CRUD MUSIC MAG  ALERTS

MUSIC POLLS
Would the REAL Fifth Beatle Please Step Forward, Please ...
Pete Best
Neil Aspinall
Stuart Sutcliffe
George Martin
Liam Gallagher

View Weekly Poll Results

ALBUM / CD REVIEWS

:: STEPHEN MALMUS
:: MATTHEW RYAN
:: TAPES N TAPES
:: THE BREEDERS
:: FOALS
:: PETE PHILLY
:: CITY AND COLOUR
:: CHILDREN OF AGAPE
:: BAUHAUS
:: KILLS, THE
:: NINJA TUNE
:: MINISTRY OF SOUND
:: KAKI KING
:: SURROUNDED
:: LAND OF TALK
:: NICK CAVE
:: SONS AND DAUGHTERS
:: PRESIDENTS OF
:: MOUNTAIN GOATS
:: GROOVE ARMADA
:: ALEC EMPIRE

LATEST NEWS

:: Animal Collective
:: Lightspeed Champion
:: Charlatans
:: Black Grass
:: Secret Garden Party
:: The Metros
:: My Morning Jacket
:: The Music
:: Moby
:: The National
:: Dan Le Sac
:: Bestival
:: The Hop Farm
:: Latitude
:: The Ting Tings
:: Death Cab For Cutie
:: Ladytron
:: Martha Wainwright
:: Future Of The Left
:: Inner Party System

LATEST FEATURES

:: Gravenhurst
:: Raveonettes
:: Eels/BBC4
:: Saint Vincent
:: iLikeTrains
:: Yo La Tengo
:: Greasy Truckers
:: Damien Rice
:: Camden Crawl
:: The National
:: Maps
:: Junior Boys

LATEST INTERVIEWS

:: Half Cousin
:: Liars
:: Little Man Tate
:: Scritti Politti
:: CORD
:: Delays
:: Editors
:: Grandaddy
:: Willy Mason
:: Palace Fires
     

Arlo – Out of LA, To Seattle, Next Stop, Is Anyone’s Guess/by Tony Engelhart

ARLO

Stab The Unstoppable Hero... is out now. You want more in the way of punky nu-wave nerd rock satisfaction? You must be out of your tiny little mind, 'ar kid. Here's Arlo.

28/08/2002

As the spotlight of the cynical Grunge movement began to fade, there emerged a new and fresh sound which combined the angst-ridden ambience of its darker predecessor with an Emo, Punk Pop quality that was playful, quirky and cheerful. Bands such as Weezer, Greenday and Supergrass were quickly becoming the alternative to the gloominess of Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder. While the press was quick to label the new genre as Punk Revival, in reality the only thing that was “Punk” about these groups was the use of three chord progressions and rapid fire tempo’s. Lyrically, none of the nerd rockers were singing about anarchy, fascism or death and destruction. Moreover, these groups often combined three part harmonies and sensitive terminology within a song.

Name after Arlo Aldahl, the sound man at the groups’ favorite watering hole, Mr. T's Bowl, in Highland Park, California, Arlo formed using this blueprint for power pop in 1993. Originally named Otto, the band played almost every club in LA in one form or another. Founding members Nate Greely and Sean Spillane met in college. Having an equal fondness to cannabis, the two guitar players became fast friends and quickly formed a band. From the Post-Punk sounds of the Pixies to classic rockers The Who and the Stones, the duo were listening to an array of musical styles as they crafted their sound. “My first record was Tattoo You by the Rolling Stones and really set the tone for my later music path. CCR, The Who, the Kinks, Fugazi, GBV and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem were all very positive influences on me over the years. The Beatles and Beach Boys gave me a love for vocal melodies and harmonies”, explains Sean about his own, as well as the band’s influences.

As Nate and Sean began to blossom into a top draw in LA, even putting out a split 7” for Glimmerfed Records, the two seemed to have a hard time keeping a solid rhythm section in tact. After the third combo left, the boys met up with two old friends, Soup and Shmedley, who were fronting a rival band, Holliston Stops. When the two joined Otto, Soup switched to drums, and Shmedley picked up the bass. After a name change, the guys signed with Sub Pop and released a 7” featuring ‘Sitin’ On The Aces’ and ‘Skyscraper’ in 2000. Though the band has been compared to Weezer, it hasn’t been intentional, “I didn't listen to Weezer until Pinkerton came out. I loved the way they made that record- it felt perfectly dirty and dangerous yet super catchy. I think sometimes though, that people lump us into the Weezer category just because they really don't know where else to put us. I think we're more like the early Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers”, explains Sean. In 2001 Arlo released their first full length recording, Up High In The Night, to critical acclaim. While the disc was recorded in a home studio, Arlo enlisted the help of friend/musician Ben Vaughn and engineer Mark Linnett (who had previously worked with Jane’s Addiction and the Beach Boys) to mix the album.

Despite another line-up change as Tom Sanford replaced Soup as drummer, Arlo emerged from the studio in 2002 with the impressive follow-up ~Stab The Unstoppable Hero~. Staying with their proven formula, the disc is upbeat, guitar driven power pop and is already receiving stellar reviews, “All the reviews I've seen have been amazing, especially when the reviewer is female, which feels great. I don't know why, but it just seems to be the case. However, for some reason we haven't been reviewed in anywhere near as many publications this time around. This record really is a different record in many ways than the first one. Maybe since the economy went into the shitter and a lot of the internet music sites died, there's just not as many chances to have a record reviewed as there was just a year ago. It doesn't really matter because a good record does its own work by word of mouth. The best reviews are from friends whose taste in music you admire and trust”, said Spillane.

By bringing back Mark Linnett to mix the record, the music hasn’t changed dramatically, however, the production is much sharper. “We really did a much better job of recording the drums with the indispensable help of Mark Linnett who engineers all of Brian Wilson's live stuff, and he also remixed Pet Sounds for the Beach Boy's Box Set. Mark mixed our last album along with Ben Vaughn. Ben helped with the arrangements and we relied on his professional ears to guide us in the studio. Having Tom Sanford, our new drummer helped immensely- he gave the album a groove and is my favorite drummer in the world. Rich Mauser mixed the record and really worked the right amount of magic in taking what we recorded and making it fly out of the speakers without losing sight of what we were trying to do. I feel that all these factors came together to make a very honest album”, explains Sean.

The first single, ‘Runaround’, a jumping tune with an early Elvis Costello and the Attractions vibe, has been receiving a fair amount of college radio play but has yet to break into corporate sponsored radio. “We're doing well on college radio but frankly, I'm a bit disappointed in the lack of radio play this record is getting. I don't think Radio is in a good place at the moment. Conglomeration of commercial radio is killing music. It doesn't allow for the regional musical dialects, so to speak, to flourish. Like when the blues and jazz were becoming the most powerful forms of music during the 20th century you had Delta blues, Chicago blues, Dixie land jazz, East and West coast be-bop. Now you can only be alternative or rap or country. Hell, why isn't there at least a classic country station like the classic rock stations that repeatedly blast the same 5 songs every 20 minutes”, states Sean with disgust.

The buzz on Arlo is growing at a rapid pace while the group is currently on a US tour in support of ~Stab The Unstoppable Hero~ and playing to capacity filled rooms. Most definitely one of the new bands on Sub Pop to keep an eye on as a hot bidding war of major labels will be inevitable.


Tony Engelhart for Crud Magazine© 2002


04/02 1 Giant Leap - My Culture
04/02 Elfpower Interview - Andrew Rieger - Creatures
04/02 Frou Frou Interview - Guy Sigsworth/Imogen Heap
04/02 Gomez Interview - Ian Ball
04/02 Idlewild - Live - London Astoria
04/02 K's Choice Interview
04/02 Leaves - Live - Camden Dingwall
04/02 Longwave Interview - Exit
04/02 Lucy Mongrel Interview
04/02 Oasis - The Hindu Times
04/02 Phantom Planet - Interview
04/02 Unwritten Law - Interview
04/02 VUE - Coordinates Interview
05/02 BRMC - LIve - Kentish Town, London
05/02 Breeders - Title K
05/02 FC Kahuna - Machine Says Yes
05/02 Moco - Live - London Monarch
05/02 Need New Body - Interview
05/02 The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Live - Soundhause, Northampton
05/02 The Bellrays - Meet The Bellrays
06/02 Fleadh Festival - Finsbury Park
06/02 Frou Frou Coordinates Interview
06/02 Incubus - Interview - Mark Einziger
06/02 North Mississippi Allstars - Interview
06/02 Papa Roach - She Loves Me Not
06/02 Proud Mary - Live - Northampton, Soundhaus
06/02 Pulp - Live - Sherwood Pines, Edwinstowe
06/02 Reindeer section - You Are My Joy
06/02 Silverchair - Diorama


06/02 Something Corporate - Leaving Through The Window
06/02 Soinc Youth - Interview
06/02 The Burn - The Smiling Face
06/02 The Coral - Live - Roadmender, Northampton
06/02 The LIbertines - Live - The Social, Nottingham
06/02 The Vines, Sheffield Leadmill
06/02 Trik Turner - Interview
06/02 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Live, Soundhaus, Northampton
07/02 12 Stones Interview
07/02 Arolo -Interview
07/02 Buy To Let Doncaster - Anti Social Behaviour
07/02 Cassius - Interview
07/02 Farrah - Interview
07/02 Glassjaw - Interview
07/02 Neil Michael Haggerty - Interview
07/02 Hoobastank - Running Away
07/02 Leaves - Interview
07/02 LL Cool Jay Interview
07/02 Oasis - Live - Finsbury Park, London
07/02 Polyphonic Spree - Live - Camden Monarch
07/02 Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
07/02 Super Furry Animals - Interview
07/02 The Beatings - Live - Metro Club London
07/02 The Bellrays + The D4 - Virgin Megastore, Oxford Street London

January 2001

July - August 2001
September - October 2001
November - December 2001
January - March 2002
April - July 2002
August - December 2002


 
 
 

 

© CRUD MUSIC MAGAZINE/
2-4-7-MUSIC.COM 2006

STILL refusing to dumb it down.

HOME :: NEW RELEASES :: MUSIC REVIEWS :: INTERVIEWS :: MEDIA STREAMS :: MUSIC NEWS :: ADVERTISING :: POLLS :: CONTACT US ::
***AVERTISEMENT*** Room4U Hotel Directory - Up to 75% OFF standard rates
Room4U UK Hotel Directory Room4U Hotels Europe Manchester Airport Hotels Heathrow Airport Hotels Gatwick Airport Hotels Bournemouth Hotels Bristol Hotels Blackpool Hotels Cardiff Covent Garden Hotels Earls Court Hotels Lake District Hotels Leeds Hotels Mayfair Hotels Park Lane Hotels Westminster Hotels Newcastle Hotels Newquay Hotels Nottingham Hotels Oxford Hotels Scarborough Hotels Sheffield Hotels Torquay Hotels York Hotels Editorial Intelligence Amber Alert JK Rowling and Harry's Name The Three Arguidos ITV Documentary: Madeleine McCann: One Year On
***AVERTISEMENT***
Crud Magazine is set up and maintained in accordance with permissions and conditions agreed by all parties.