Album Review: Sound Of Arrows - Voyage

Sounds of Arrows - Voyage

There are certain acts in music that come out of nowhere and begin creating exciting and beautiful and instantly classic music. Of course, these are rarely the acts that get the attention they deserve, because let’s be honest mainstream music is rarely about the quality of the product. There are bands such as Sigur Ros, Royksopp, and Explosions in the Sky who are able to create immense and gorgeous soundscapes that transport the listener far, far away. There are pop acts like Robyn, Hurts, and Erik Hassle who create catchy tunes without succumbing to the mindless formula many pop artists do these days. There are even some acts who can achieve all of this and have been for years (Pet Shop Boys come to mind). And now, somewhere in between all of this...is Sound of Arrows.

A Swedish duo (obviously), consisting of Oskar Gullstrand and Stefan Storm, slowly garnered buzz after being selected as an official remix DJ for Lady GaGa’s Alejandro, a sunny rework that outdid the already amazing original. It was obvious they were a force to be reckoned with in terms of production, but it wasn’t until their debut single, Nova, that it became equally clear that they were very much their own artists as well. Taking their time to work off of this buzz and to make a strong debut statement, they took close to a year to release Voyage. I had personally kept only a marginal level of interest until the album was released, but one listen told me all I needed to know about this group.

Voyage is a true album in the way that very few albums are anymore, especially in the pop genre. By this I mean that it is one cohesive statement, masterfully pulling different sounds into one near perfect album. From the first listen I knew that this was an automatic contender for album of the year (and if you have seen the way I gush about Beyonce’s 4 album...you know this is a big statement.) On paper it almost seems like too much. Monstrous orchestral arrangements, heavenly vocals that soar through the music but never overtake it, and sparkling synths that keep the near-classical composition current and exciting. Heavenly gems are plentiful on Voyage, with a couple of the main highlights being the shimmering Longest Ever Dream and whimsical Magic.

What really convinced me of their immense talent, however, is the near 8-minute epic, There Is Still Hope. It starts out with a 2 minute instrumental build-up before breaking into a breathtaking arrangement of vocals that lasts for another 6 minutes. And yet it is such a pressing, gorgeous song that 8 minutes somehow seems way too short. As the swirling synths give  way to the chanting “You’ll come back to me! You’ll come back to me!” I am always hoping it will somehow last longer on each listen. It very much reminds me of post-rock veterans Godspeed You! Black Emperor with their 20 minute masterpieces as There Is Still Hope could go on for much longer and still feel like a perfect song. It all comes down to Sound of Arrows attention to song composition, pop sensibility, and strong musicianship. And it is for that reason that I am positive that this is not the last brilliant piece of work that they will give us.

While Voyage may lose to Bey for my album of the year title (She is my Queen, after all)...Sound of Arrows have done what very few acts in pop, rock, electronic or any other genre are able to: they created a classic debut that made good on all of the previous promise and set themselves up to become trend-setters in the genre. I am already excited to see how they will move forward with their own music, and if they will continue to remix/produce for other artists (Robyn get in on them IMMEDIATELY). Whatever their next move is...they have won a fan in me.

Where Are the Male Pop Stars? Pt. 2

And we're back! Yesterday I covered some of the shining male stars in the R&Pop and Electro genres, and today I am going to tackle the standard Pop artists as well as those who focus on SynthPop. Let's just dive right in, shall we?

Pop

Will Young

Now Will is someone I had never paid much attention to before this year. The original winner of the now ever-present singing competitions, Will seemed to be a UK singer of the past and not someone I should be looking into. BOY was I wrong! With the release of his album Echoes and its lead single Jealousy this year, I have become so insanely hooked. Will's music isn't exactly something to light the dancefloor on fire. In fact, it is one of my favorite laying-in-bed albums of the moment. But that is because the music is beautiful, the lyrics are smart and often touching, and Will's voice is so smooth. Put it together and you have one of the best releases of the year, and my favorite male pop singer of the moment. Oh, and did I mention that he is gay?

Recommended Listening: Jealousy, Come On, Outsider

Joe McElderry

UK X-Factor winner Joe McElderry very much surprised me. I thought him to be sort of the UK David Archuleta when I first heard him on the show. Cute, definitely. Talented, ohh yes. A star...not so much. BUT...then his album came out and it was a high-energy, fabulous affair. Borrowing vocal stylings from the likes of Jake Shears, Joe showed that he could lead the charge on a dancefloor igniter just as easily as on a cheesy ballad. While his career has suffered similar fates as many of his X-Factor comrades...I have high hopes for this boy, and hope he brings us another set of music sooner rather than later. Oh and FYI...I did not mention it...but he is gay.

Recommended Listening: Ambitions, Fahrenheit

Justin Timberlake

I almost didn’t do it. I almost didn’t put him on here. He hasn’t released an album in years, and with his forays into cinema, it doesn’t appear he is in even the slightest of rushes to put out another. BUT...as far as male pop stars of this generation goes, Justin is arguably the biggest. Everything he touches turns to gold, his fans jump at the slightest mention of him being on a track, and the boy can seriously sing and dance. While he may not be part of the current pop landscape...leaving him out of the game would be a mistake. All the same...I just wish he would get on with it. Oh, and did I mention that sadly he is NOT gay?

Recommended Listening: Cry Me A River, SexyBack

Synth-Pop

Darren Hayes

Now, my US readers probably won't recognize this name, but here is one most of them SHOULD recognize: Savage Garden. Remember them? Yeah, me too. I have endless fond memories of Savage Garden’s music. Apparently after they split, the lead singer Darren Hayes went ahead and created quite a solo pop career for himself abroad. All of his music has been extraordinary, and his fans are loyal and proud of the spectrum of work Hayes has put out. This year with his new album, he has won another fan in me. The best way for me to describe it would be ambient-pop. Hayes has the strong and high voice (sometimes wandering into being a bit whiney) that delivers strong songs on top of dreamy productions. Definitely one of the long-term career inspirations that many of the men on this list could learn a thing or two from.

Recommended Listening: Black Out the Sun

Hurts

With their debut album last year, Hurts set the Eurosynthpop (not a thing, made it up) genre on its ear. Early buzz off of their incredibly strong lead singles seemed to set the two boys up for failure. So what did they do? Produced an album with nothing but expert craftsmanship, a cohesive sound, and one helluva feature for their debut (once again..uhmm..KYLIE MINOGUE?!). Yes, Hurts made almost every pop publication’s Best Of... lists for 2010, and deservedly so. Their music sounds as fresh today as it did last year...and I have a good feeling that classic pop music is exactly what we can expect from the rest of their career as well.

Recommended Listening: Stay, Blood Tears & Gold, Devotion

Sound of Arrows

I have to admit that I didn’t pay attention to this duo in the months leading up to their debut album this month. It all seemed very pretty and nice, but nothing I could really hold on to single wise. Then the buzz for the album began generating like no other album I had seen this year. But still I decided to wait until it came out to listen to their music again. And man...am I happy I paid attention to the buzz this time around. Their album is possibly the best of 2011. SoA have achieved a level of orchestral synthpop that I have rarely heard, and even more rarely seen it be executed so masterfully. They have made a classic album of this era, and will be the electronic album to beat this year without a doubt.

Recommended Listening: Nova, Longest Ever Dream, There Is Still Hope

That's all for now, folks! Check back on Monday for the final installment where I cover Vocal and Rock/Pop male artists! I hope you find some goodies in my suggestions!