Arms - Whirring (Melodic)
4/5
By: Michael Cragg
Multi-instrumentalist Todd Goldstein, aka Arms, is what can commonly be referred to as a 'greedy bugger'. Not only does he have his own blend of gloom-laden guitar pop (more on this later), but he's also one half of lo-fi duo the Sea & the Gulls, and the guitarist in one of New York's most talked about new bands, Harlem Shakes. It's this kind of behaviour that can make a fairly mild-mannered person turn green with barely repressed jealousy. Still, it's not for me to judge why these things happen, so let's pretend instead that 'Whirring' is a really bad song, which it isn't.
Goldstein's locale when he made 'Whirring' is telling, as the song practically screams "New York!!!", mixing gloomy Interpol-esque guitar arpeggios with it's own creepy sense of grandeur, not to mention a melody The Strokes would kill for by the time they come to record their next album. Goldstein said the lyric was inspired by his sense of fear when he fist moved to the Big Apple, and it's this uncertainty that creeps over the song, slowly engulfing it by the four minute mark. B-side 'Jon the Escalator', is a different beast altogether. Not as immediate as its flipside, it ambles along at it's own pace, taking in everything from the Magnetic Fields to Grandaddy.
The only problem with Arms is that you get the feeling there may not be enough hours in the day for Goldstein to fulfil all his musical obligations, and that would be a real shame as 'Whirring' especially shows a great talent emerging.
Stream 'Whirring' HERE.
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