Arsenal - Lokemo
Quality.....: VBRkbps
Release Date: Apr-08-2011
Source......: CDDA
Genre.......: Pop
Total Tracks: 13
Playtime....: 44:48 min
CD Size.....: 78,3 MB
TrackListings
01 - Montana Rusa 00:51
02 - Lokemo 04:19
03 - One Day At A Time 04:11
04 - Pacific 03:47
05 - I-330 01:41
06 - Satellites 04:24
07 - Fear Of Heights 04:21
08 - High Venus 05:56
09 - Integral 00:57
10 - Melvin 04:53
11 - Natolin 00:52
12 - Glitter & Gold 05:17
13 - Sunn Drumms 03:19
Release Info
http://www.arsenal-music.com/
http://www.myspace.com/arsenalbe
http://www.facebook.com/arsenalmusic
Album number four and everything is possible. The uncertainty of the
debut is over, the confirmation of the second is in the past and the
milestone of the third - the one that stresses that the previous two
hits were no accident - has now also been overtaken.
With Lokemo, Arsenal has, if not rediscovered, then at least
redefined itself. Not in the least because Hendrik Willemyns and John
Roan granted themselves absolute freedom this time. ôIf we felt like
making an ambient-track, we just went ahead and did it. But if the
next day a song came about that wanted to be rock, no problem!ö says
Hendrik. And that line probably sums up the essence of the group,
because there's no other band that can switch between styles and
genres as easily as Arsenal can. You could call that eclecticà or
multi-facetedà concepts that donÆt stray far from the truth. But in
this case itÆs simply the nature of the beast. ôWe wanted to grow,
and that was only possible if we could follow our own intuition
without complexes or taboos. Restricting yourself can be useful, but
not if it is in order to meet what is expected of you. We wanted to
tell other stories, not get stuck in repetition.ö And indeed: where
it is customary in pop music to build a whole career on one and the
same idea, Arsenal sounds different every time. But always familiar.
Take æMelvinÆ, the first single where guest singer Shawn Smith, in
his own inimitable way, unleashes his hopes and regrets. With a
chorus that locks in your head and a voice that will make you giddy
all over. But even more than that, the sum of the parts sounds funky
and sensual. Sexy, even. It doesnÆt take much imagination to predict
that live, this will easily become a pinnacle that, with will be able
to match hits like æLongeeÆ, æSaudadeÆ and æEstupendoÆ. Same for Mike
LaddÆs æOne Day At A TimeÆ, a song that announces the summer like the
first swallow announces the spring.
To get the album started Arsenal rented a place in the Breton village
of LocquΘmeau, a house which was far enough to focus on the work and
isolated enough to play their music very loud so they could drown out
the sound of storms and gushing rains. On Lokemo they experiment not
only musically but also vocally new stuff happens. People like
Depotax or Johnny Whitney, of the legendary Hardcore-band The Blood
Brothers, will make Arsenal-fans forget that they were ever described
as a world-fusion band. Which they never were.
The music, as always, feels cheerful and positive, but there is an
underlying darkness that you would not immediately associate with the
band. Someone once said that "the best art reflects the environment
in which it was created". If that is the case then I fear that
Hendrik & John don't hold high hopes for the 21st century.
Arsenal is known as one of the most popular bands in Belgium. The
group was featured in the hit series Six Feet Under and was praised
in the United States by celeb-bloggers like Perez Hilton or Kany
West. But above all, Arsenal is a live band that raises temperatures
in every club, hall or festival to boiling point. With no less than
four sold-out performances at the Ancienne Belgique on the agenda
Arsenal is reminded that people expect something that will last...