We’re big fans of Todd Goldstein’s Arms project here at WTD. Not only have we covered several of his releases, we were lucky enough to have him record a cover of Magnetic Fields’ ‘The Book of Love’ for our Quiet, Constant Friends compilation last year. It’s no surprise then that we are rather excited about Patterns, a new album from the former Harlem Shakes man that’s coming out this spring on Paper Garden Records.
Patterns is apparently a “love letter to letting go”, using Arms’ trademark blend of sad and emotional sounds with wry observations and clever turns of phrase to create guitar-drive indie pop that fulfils the dual motives of being fun and accessible but also interesting and strange. As the press release describes:
“The songs on Patterns are as keenly aware of their place in the continuum of wry, melancholic songwriters (the Cohens, Merritts, Wainwrights, and Stipes that Goldstein likes to cite) as they are willing to twist those conventions into odd, intriguing new shapes.”
The first single, ‘Keep it Light’, is the perfect example of what makes Arms so great. The instrumentation skips along at a fair tempo as Goldstein’s vocals drawl and drag along behind, the words worming their way into your head between the sparkling guitars and shimmering reverb and Devendorfian drum work. The song gathers in intensity in the latter half, lyrics pressing forward with urgency, as if the subliminal message in your new favourite pop song has grown tired of being so cryptic and decided to make itself heard.
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Patterns is due to be released on the 6th May via Paper Garden Records and you can pre-order it now.