Arbouretum - Song Of the Pearl
Believe it or not, reviewing albums can seem pretty hard work sometimes. A lot of the time you have to listen to stuff that isn’t really your cup of tea and remain as fair and objective as possible about it, which can be pretty wearing. But the sometimes something so special, so precious, so utterly compelling lands on your plate you realise why you started doing this in the first place. ‘Song Of The Pearl’ is one of those moments.
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve heard anything that has affected me instantly as this third proper album, they did a split album last year with Pontiak that doesn’t really count, from Baltimore’s Arbouretum and this record just goes to show what can still be achieved by a band allowed to mature in its own good time, away from the fierce glare of commercial expectation as bands used to be allowed to do.
Weirdly though, it also induced my first spell of writer’s block as a reviewer, I think in some way the quality of the record intimidated me, sub-consciously I was worried that I would not have the words to adequately describe such a piece of work. As a result, I’ve had the album for the best part of two months but am only now finally putting pen to paper.
On first listen, from the instant opening bars of ‘False Spring’ wound out of my speakers, with its fuzzy guitar riff and insistent, rolling rhythm line, all the way through to the closing moments of ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time’, all plaintive lost love soul searching, I sat rapt, jaw open and gently rocking back and forth.
Arbouretum first rose to our notice back in ’07 with their album ‘Rites Of Uncovering’ which is a splendid rock record but ‘Song Of The Pearl’ takes the whole game up at least two divisions from there.
Normally when reviewing a record I’ll highlight a few choice tracks, mutter something about possibly where the album falls down and come up with some trite summation to close, but that system breaks down when every track is a highlight and I can’t imagine how they could have made the record better.
So all that’s left to say is, don’t take my word for it. Go out, buy this record, put it on LOUD in a darkened room and be transported to another place, a place of dusty roads, wide open spaces and coruscating sunsets, a place of world weary heartache and a place where a band is given the time and scope to produce a serious piece of work.
If this record is not in my top three come the summing up at the end of the year, 2009 will have been a landmark year in the history of music.
Top Tracks: ‘False Spring’, ‘Thin Dominion’, 'Infinite Corridors', 'The Midnight Cry' and pretty much the whole of the rest of the album.
Released MArch 09 on Thrill Jockey