Release Date: Feb. 14, 2012
With their past two albums, Heartless Bastards carried with them a sense of being lost in a dog race of complacency. After half a decade of muddling through several half-hearted blues-rock albums, lead singer Erika Wennerstrom has had enough of mediocrity. Back in 2011, Wennerstrom gutted the band in its blues-rock form, and recreated The Bastards as a heavy-rocking quintet.
The band’s latest album, Arrow, is the fruit of that labor. There are a couple of interesting songs, and overall better production, but their efforts do not go far enough. Placing their best foot forward, the album is a top-heavy work that topples in its concluding moments.
Listening to Arrow, it is apparent that Heartless Bastards have benefited immeasurably from Jim Eno’s (Spoon) production involvement, as they have achieved a quality of sound which simply wasn’t there on their previous releases. This increased focus on better studio techniques has allowed for Wennerstrom’s beautifully mournful vocals to shrine through—the opening tracks of “Marathon” and “Parted Ways” are great examples of what Heartless Bastards are capable of when placed in the right condition under proper studio guidance.
Speaking of “Parted Ways,” Wennerstrom’s aspirations for a newfound lyrical expression is clear as she sings, “I need a little bit of whiskey and a little bit of time to ease my troubled mind.” Her lower vocal register hits a chord with a listener, as she is speaking from a place of emotional honesty in spite of the demands which the world placed upon her shoulders.
The song, “Got to Have Rock and Roll” shines as an example of Heartless Bastards’ interest in reviving a similar sound made popular by the likes of Deep Purple. “Got to Have Rock and Roll”’s overdriven guitar sound, simple chord structure and Wennerstrom’s double-tracked vocals demand to be played at a rough dive bar populated with bikers and the women who love them. Any red-blooded American who has spent time growing up in the Heartland and listening to Led Zeppelin will unquestionably rock out to this track on their air guitar.
Despite the promises of a new musical reinvention, Heartless Bastards quickly lose their newly obtained Eno charm. By the sixth track, “Skin and Bone,” the band reverts back to the comforts of their largely underwhelming back catalog: middle-of-the-road rock ‘n’ roll. This step backward is much to the detriment of the overall enjoyment of Arrow; what the band achieves in the second half of the album is a mostly tedious experience.
Wennerstrom put her faith in Eno with Arrow in hopes that he would lead Heartless Bastards toward the promised land. Sadly, while the band was able to achieve a new sound with its first couple of tracks on this album, this newfound musical identity doesn’t last throughout the album: by the second half, band members succumb to their reactionary musical doubts. It’s a shame; Wennerstrom’s vocals, like the music of her band, continue to wander in search of a place to settle. Arrow doesn’t meet its aspirations, but it does hint at a brighter future.
Heartless Bastards – Arrow tracklist:
- “Marathon”
- “Parted Ways”
- “Got to Have Rock and Roll”
- “Only for You”
- “Simple Feeling”
- “Skin and Bone”
- “The Arrow Killed the Beast”
- “Late in the Night”
- “Low Low Low”
- “Down in the Canyon”
