Robin Merritt
ArtFRONT Presentations
(423) 756-4827
“The Glowing Bird” (October, 2008)
www.myspace.com/arizonatheband
An orchestral montage of electric rock gems and lazy ballads with rebellious musical hooks and whimsical subject matter that has made for quite a few pleasant morning listens since I’ve been trying to find words to describe Arizona’s new CD “The Glowing Bird.” In some ways it harkens back to the days of operatic rock reminiscent of the early “Yes” albums but with melody being the main element of virtuosity rather than any particular musical instrument. You’ll hear cellos and heavy electric guitars getting along side by side. Soaring vocal harmonies on gorgeous anthems such as “Balloon” will be a challenge for rock format stations but should please NPR affiliates and fans of indie style neo-orchestration. In the same league as Band of Horses, and Tyler Ramsey, Arizona is helping the new Asheville sound begin to take shape. In part due to My Morning Jacket producer Danny Kadar’s involvement the recordings. Lesser-known acts like Stephaniesid are following closely behind.
Glowing Bird is poised to snag the attention of whoever hears it and possibly usurp some of the attention from earlier out of the gate Asheville bands who are currently more well known. This inventive, yet melodic group should also reel in fans of Beck.
There’s lots of good variety on this disk with songs such as “You Were Right” making use of modern/retro effects and 21st C. style compositional arrangements. Oddities such as “Ghost” will entertain those looking for more off the wall fare. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which song DJ’s will pick from an album this varied. I’ve heard “Ghost” on the radio already, although I don’t include it on my track list.
One thing that should work for any listener is to play the entire CD start to finish and decide which tunes definitely belong together in unbroken sequence. This could turn out to be one of those rare CD’s that DJ’s will play two or three songs in sequence from every time they cue it up. Try playing “The Glowing Bird” & “Otto the Eel” together for starters...then if You’ve the airtime let them flow on into “Don’t have the Body” for a full spectrum of what this CD can do for listeners weary of raucous rock but needing a jolt to get them excited about the possibility of a concept album or rock opera resurgence.
Suggested tracks for radio play.
#2. Balloon (not rock)
#3. Swimming Hole (rock)
#4. You were Right (rock)
#6. The Glowing Bird
#7. Otto the Eel
#8. Don’t Have the Body
#9. Easily
ps Arizona have 2 previous CD’s that delighted music reviewers in NYC and beyond. My first exposure came after reading about the band in NYC’s “The Deli” magazine which touts NYC’s local music scene. A good introduction is their bio at Echo Mountain records website at http://www.echomountainrecords.com/artists_arizona_bio.html
which should be read in it’s entirety if any of the following rings any bells.
“Arizona was introduced
to producer and mentor Danny Kadar (My Morning Jacket, Iggy Pop, The Avett
Brothers) who became influential in helping the band record and mix their first
full-length album “Welcome Back Dear Children” (2006) After deciding to release
the album independently Arizona received praise from radio stations like WXPN
in Philadelphia, and found themselves touring extensively with Band of Horses,
The Slip and Indigo Girls.”