When your favourite band drops the new album the anticipation is huge. Once upon a time it used to be that there maybe 1 or 2 singles pre release but now it is much more so when Arcadia dropped I knew a huge part of the material by heart already. This does a couple of things 1. It meant I greeted the familiar songs with a smile, like old friends you enjoy hanging out with and 2. I listened to the new songs with great anticipation to see what they said, to know where they fit in in always with that anticipation of "will I like the new as much as I like the older?"
The last Smash Into Pieces album, Evolver, was an experimental mix of All-The-Things, each song was stand alone and the album told the stories of each band members through their individual influences and life changes. I mean you do not often hear baby's laughter on a rock cd but hot damn every time I listen to Lullaby I laugh and smile. For me Evolver worked because it was like being let into the thought processes of each band member as if there were no holds barred, no expectation and they could do anything they pleased. A sort of This is our messy house come on in and sit down and enjoy. I loved it then and I still do.
Fast forward 2 years and they give us Arcadia which is completely different to the last album. A band can choose to go down many roads as they grow and evolve. They can decide to keep on creating the same music that took them to popularity in the 1st place or they can grow beyond their first steps. Smash Into Pieces is a band that grows and this is vital. There is a core fan base which likes the harder, grittier music but over the years the sound has softened a little, the harmonies are much tighter and the eclectic musical influences are far more overt leading to a sound that is different from the early work but not as much as one might think at first glance. With these shifts in style they manage to hold onto much of the original fan base but also gain a whole new following because they appeal to far wider range of musical tastes. Not many bands can do this well but Smash does.
Arcadia is a concept album, it tells a story and we, the
listener, are invited into this world through the music, the videos and the
webpage which gives more details about the tale being woven.
Firstly, the music is bang on ( no pun intended) There is not a song on this
album I don't like. From the moment it begins with The Siren it lets you know
you are being invited into something a little different, for me it was a very
cyberpunk opening and it led into Wake Up which brings back some of the harder, edgier
sounds so you know the band is reaching back to its roots while being very true
to the new direction they are moving in.
From there on in it is one good song after another. I don't need to give a review of every song, I think they each speak for themselves and we, the listeners, get
to decide how we interpret and enjoy them.
One of the things that drew me to SIP in the first place was
their lyrics, although the band is Swedish, they write and sing in English and
their grasp on the nuances of their 2nd language is brilliant. They are incredibly clever lyricists. The
songs are thoughtful and full of meaning, I never tire of hearing them and I am
still discovering new things I had not previously heard. The music is intense, a
clever mix of traditional instruments and synthesized sounds which create an
extraordinarily rich, full-bodied sound. The songs are complex because of this
and this makes them interesting for more than one round of listening. You are
immediately invited in by the powerful and intense vocals, led by Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye who
has an amazing vocal range which is complimented by his bandmates, Benjamin "Banjo" Jennebo -Guitar / Bass / Vocals, Per Bergquist - Guitar / Bass / Vocals and The Apocalypse DJ who is far more than "just" the drummer in the band.
One of the
major aspects that makes their sound so unique are the harmonies they use to
round out the vocals. These make the songs even more interesting musically simply
by the fact there is so much going on, add to this the pretty sweet rhythms that
are a lot more complex than one might think and the rich guitars and bass which
bring the entire show together you have a very polished finished product. There
is a huge amount of wide ranging talent in this band and it is showcased more with each album they release.
Arcadia has a balanced mix of heavy and soft rock songs,
well executed and lyrically beautiful. The musical influences are threaded through
each song, but in difference to Evolver, are more subtle and much tighter. This is a
solid album that has a lot to give the listener, every song is catchy in its
own way and very sing along-able and, as with many great songs, they stay in the
head long after the actual music has stopped playing on what ever medium you
are using. I, personally, have not been able to get Bend the Rules out of my
head and I really love All Eyes on You. Do I have favourites? Yes, but as these change and shift depending on my mood and what I am doing it seems best to just say this entire album is my favourite.
Arcadia is a fine addition to the Smash library, it is a
bittersweet, often melancholy journey through a world dominated by social media
and unrest at a time when the world is going through some pretty major changes. And while they do not sing overtly about the current world situations the themes are very present in the music which evokes as much sadness as it does joy and even hope.
I give it the universe of stars!
Arcadia is available on all music platforms and the band's page is here; https://www.smashintopieces.com/
https://www.instagram.com/smashintopiecesofficial/
also no one paid me for this. I just really love this band give them a listen!
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tales from the dark side...