08 May 2013

I accidentally bought Sonic Union by Cursed Arrows. I use the word “accidentally” to explain things I did not intend to do, but ultimately did. Usually this is for a few reasons, but most times, it’s just plain laziness. “I accidentally slept in, because I didn’t set an alarm”, “I accidentally spent my whole paycheck at the merch table, but it cost the same as doing laundry”, “I accidentally got drunk because the bartender asked me if I wanted another drink”. I had intended to review Cursed Arrows‘ previous album, The Madness Of Crowds, and jumped on their Facebook Page to see if any lyrics were posted (upon further investigation, the lyrics are printed on a separate piece of paper, with the CD). I was surprised to find out that they had released something brand new, and off to Cursed Arrows’ Bandcamp I went. So, “I accidentally bought Sonic Union, but I had the money in my Paypal account”.

It seams a lot of bands lately have tried to, or accidentally, become a sub-genre, of a sub-genre, of a sub-genre. Shedding the label of ROCK (We’ll just blame Nickelback for that). Before I go too far into what is a complete separate post, Sonic Union is just a great, naked (I’m putting theses parenthesis here to stop myself from creating the sub-genre Naked-Rock), ROCK album. Cursed Arrows deliver stories of warning, love, corruption and loss, among other things, over eleven tracks (45:28). Each track features a new character, telling a different story, from a different place. The liner notes with the download have a high resolution. I was able to read along with the record, something I’ve always enjoyed doing. I feel it keeps you attached to the music rather than being distracted by the rest of the world. Plus, I believe the sleeves, cases, liner notes, whatever you want to call them, are a visual extension of the album. So thanks for that Cursed Arrows.

Sonic Union is heavy in blues. Heavy in noise and feedback and tone. Heavy in emotion. Heavy in soul. Not the Motown kind of soul. The, it’s from a special place, kind of soul. There are hints of Rock & Roll, Punk, Alternative, Grunge and Pop, but the album never commits to any of them. Sonic Union just dances around the fringes of said genres, staying true at the core, and commits to being a great Rock record. Cursed Arrows have created their most diverse offering to date with the marriage of so many styles. The name Sonic Union fits the album perfectly. Sonic Union and Cursed Arrows have me wishing all of my accidents could be this amazing.