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ArpLine are a Brooklyn-based five piece act with a very contemporary electropop sound. They seem to combine LCD Soundsystem with a little Holy Fuck, which is not a bad combination at all. Think songs with deep grooves and spastic rhythms. After listening to this record, i would bet that these guys are a blast in concert.
The only concern i have with the band is the nasally voice of lead singer Sam Tyndall. His voice is high-pitched, and quite honestly sometimes gets on my nerves. In a way, he reminds me of John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants, only recorded with the treble all the way up. With a different voice, or maybe less voice, this would rate higher. Your mileage may vary of course, but be forewarned.
The record kicks off with the synthish intro Speed (Rush-Ah). This moves along slowly, growing and growing until it explodes into Fold Up Like A Piece of Paper, where the rhythm moves at a furious pace with deep layers of synth sounds. The guitarwork here reminds me of Happy-era Public Image, Ltd., which is kind of interesting. This is a fun song, in general.
They slow it down a slight amount for Make It Rain. However, the way this track swells up reminds me of the mid-1980s. I guess that is a natural thing to think of synthpop. ArpLine follow this up with a grating synth beat on Parts Unknown, where they channel Suicide. Decent, if you like that sort of thing.
Amplify, is a glorious tune. It starts with a syncopated keyboard riff, which is then answered by a soaring guitar line and a steadily growing drum beat. This song just hurls forward, furiously, driven by that beat. I bet this gets the kids dancing at their live shows.
Weekend In The Colonies reminds me of that PVT record from last year, in that the song is constructed out of many layers of synths combined with a clatter of staccato beats. This is another fun tune, and it slowly fades out, to be reborn with a sudden tinkling of keyboards and a thudding beat as Sound and Versions. This song seems to move at a laconic pace, and the voice is extra whiney here. Maybe it's the pace of the song or something, but this is where i have officially had enough of the singing and want him to just shut up! However, the guitarwork is great, a slow almost bluesish playing that works with the tinkling keys and slow drumming.
Cap is another slower song, here with a xylophone like sample and some marital drumming. Tyndall sings his best line, "Desire is a sign of weakness, so put it away". Huh. Game continues the slow pace, with grinding guitars and sparse drumming. But things pick back up for Rope, which ends the album on an epic note, with layers of synths going everywhere, and a dominating bass riff. I bet this one is fun live as well.
ArpLine have some really interesting things going on. They do fast, spastic music well. If you like indie dance pop, you should check them out.
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