Applewine

Yet another landmark attesting to Arrowsmith's talent

     

If the past is indeed the best predictor of current behavior, Applewine is no surprise. The natural progression of Alex Arrowsmith's music shows each album continually out-doing those before it, each one displaying a more defined version of what Arrowsmith is about. Applewine is a demonstration of an artist acutely aware of his own abilities and how to harness them in song form. Here the serious and silly collide but never clash, pop culture references flourish, and "def jams" is rhymed with "webcams." Songs bounce along, never lagging and never overstaying their welcome. Arrowsmith's vocals are crisp and enthusiastic. Guitar solos are more plentiful than in his previous work, and they blend into the songs seamlessly, as though they are meant to be there. Highly-produced gems such as "Fearful Symmetry" and "Coldplay Got Eaten by Piranhas" are placed effortlessly alongside stripped-down songs such as "I Hope You're Never Crushed by Something Heavy." This is the work of an artist brilliantly versed in all aspects of songwriting, production and musicianship offering up his most superbly executed album to date.