These Arms Are Snakes - Tail Swallower and Dove
Rating
RIYL
Bear Vs SharkTransistor Transistor
Isis
Kill Sadie
Label
Suicide SqueezeTracklist
1. Woolen Heirs2. Prince Squid
3. Red Line Season
4. Lucifer
5. Ethric Double
6. Seven Curtains
7. Long and Lonely Step
8. Lead Beater
9. Cavity Carousel
10. Briggs
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These Arms Are Snakes managed to top plenty of music critics' “Best of…” lists two years ago when they brought forth their magnum opus known simply as Easter, setting forth on an unrelenting journey of the oddest of abstract soundscapes one could possibly fathom. To any person who shared those same ideals, it would be evident that gaining ground on Easter with it’s follow up, Tail Swallower & Dove, would seem an almost impossible feat…
And like expected, Tail Swallower & Dove falls far short from the enormity of its predecessor. For the most part, however, this Suicide Squeeze debut essentially does pick up from where Easter’s closer – “Crazy Woman Dirty Train” – left off. The album's forefront, most notably “Woolen Heirs” through to “Seven Curtains”, seems to feed off the monstrous avant-garde style These Arms have thrived on so well. Tracks like “Lucifer”, “Seven Curtains” and “Prince Squid” happily toy with thoughts of previous releases where synthetics, bass lines and drum beats played dominating roles dancing and weaving effortlessly within one another, and vocalist Steve Snere charmingly ebbed and flowed with his iconic shout / sing / speak routine. In theory, what should be a mess is and was nothing more than audible bliss.
The seven-minute plus marathon of noise that is “Ethric Double” steals a page from the playbook of former touring mates Isis. This element alone forces the listener into a heavily distorted cacophony of eerie bass and synth lines that remain beneath a dark, looming calm which is strung along by Snere’s reverberating vocals. And if the aforementioned aspects weren’t enough, guitarist Ryan Frederiksen and drummer Chris Common introduce a quality of chaos not seen since “La Stanza Bianca” featured on Oxeneers Or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home.
The cyclic “Long And Lonely Step” brings Tail Swallower & Dove to a steady decline before falling apart like an old Buick. There’s nothing wrong with this particular song musically, but the foreshadowing and repetitive lyrics – “It goes straight down” – that circle continuously like a dog after its tail can only be so cute for so long. “Cavity Carousel” gives off a Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works-like vibe with Snere’s vocals alone, as they become increasingly distorted and high pitched at certain areas throughout the song. This incredibly minuscule aspect is enough to easily land itself as one of the most irritating qualities about this debut.
On all previous efforts, These Arms Are Snakes have ended with a bang – “Drinking From The Necks of The Ones You Love”, “Idaho”, “Crazy Woman Dirty Train”, and “Touched For The Very First Time”. Given these statistics, one would rightfully hold out hope that Tail Swallower & Dove could, in fact, be salvaged after three iffy songs. But much like the album as a whole, These Arms are incapable of completely pushing the envelope by transforming a decent wave of noise into a tsunami of astonishment.
--Daniel Alcinii
Comments
Colorado Springs, CO
Bloomington, IN
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Claremont, CA
nj
Toronto
it leaked last week.
Ann Arbor, MI
DETH ROK!!!!
nj
wow that made my night thanks
Ann Arbor, MI
where has this leaked?
DETH ROK!!!!
Baton Rouge
In retrospect after their breakup, I think this was their best work.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Boston, MA
I just got this used for $5.99 yesterday. TAAS are one of those bands where I find it impossible to rank their albums. I haven't stopped listening to "Woolen Heirs" or "Lucifer" since it came out so I can understand you saying its their best. Those songs have some of the best noise rock grooves ever put to disc.
Stereo Typing
Tweet at me, bro
Brooklyn, NY
this is definitely my favorite of theirs!
www.explodinginsound.com
Somewhere in New York
After to listening to it for the first time in a very long while, I would say this is definitely a good album, but certainly not their best. This album just doesn't seem as focused as the others. I will say that Easter will always be my favorite, unless they miraculously get back together and create more awesomeness.
"If someone gives you a kazoo and toots around the house to MTV, they're not gonna fuck you." - David Cross
Baton Rouge
While I enjoy the majority of Easter, the chunk of songs between Hell's Bank Notes and Perpetual Bris always snore me out, like I am just listening to a repeating riff for 15 minutes. I have never been able to get through that stretch of the album without losing interest. There aren't any patches on Oxneers or Tail Swallower that do that to me. I guess I am also a sucker for atmosphere, and I feel like TSAD maintains one better than their other two full-lengths.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/