Search - These Arms Are Snakes :: Easter

Joshua B. (littleborge) from ATHENS, GA
Reviewed on 8/19/2014...

doesn't compare to raffi's "singable songs for the very young (great with a peanut butter sandwich)" as far as melodicism and sheer ballsiness but it's better than dan zane's "house party" by a mile. if you listen attentively to a record store clerk go on and on about how you must hear this album if you're a fan of the putumayo series or he recommends harvey milk's "life…the best game in town" be advised that he's making fun of your taste in family-friendly jams. my child screamed in terror upon hearing "mescaline arms" for the first time on a road trip. by the time we made it to "crazy woman dirty train" 45m later she was sucking her thumb and blinking in morse code to end it all. you might ask why i didn't turn off the cd the moment the singer screamed about "molten rats" but i just thought that it was a sort of going to start out loud and simmer down over the running time…much like "free to be you and me." thanks a lot record store clerk, jade tree records, and loud angry fellas in these arms are snakes. you've successfully made my maine road trip a hellscape of feedback and child-ear endangerment.

These arms are late

redefine magazine | seattle, wa | 12/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Rising from the ashes of noisy math-rockers Botch and emo upstarts Kill Sadie, Seattle post-hardcore outfit These Arms Are Snakes has worked long and hard to reclaim both their identity and fan base. It hasn't been the easiest of processes; they've changed drummers more than a handful of times and their first album, while full of energy and vitality, was a shambling mess. But what Easter, their second full-length, reveals is that all this hard work hasn't gone to waste.



Easter is an ambitious record, packed tight with energy, aggression and a healthy dose of schizophrenia. Like a Kaiju movie klaxon warning of impending calamity, TAAS howls and screeches with equal parts excitement and foreboding. Steve Snere's surly snarl is in full effect, pouring out his stream of consciousness and boy howdy is it angry. Ryan Fredriksen's guitar screeches through dissonant licks and churns out heavy sludge with ease. The band is tighter than ever before, and it shows.



However, the album isn't without its flaws. The sequence of songs on the album is particularly dreadful. The first three tracks roar with unparalleled rage, building up the tension in an almost unbearable torrent of filth and fury. But the fourth track, "Desert Ghost," is a drum and piano number which is hauntingly melodic, but incredibly out of place. Everyone knows that track four is like the money shot of the album. You can't waste it with a slow burner like that. The poor sequencing breaks up the momentum and halts the album dead in its tracks.



These Arms Are Snakes are like aspiring cooks, working the kinks out of their recipe for hard-edged, cerebral punk rock. Their first EPs were like appetizers, spicy and palatable, but lacking in depth. Their debut was an explosive, but ultimately under-seasoned dish that was hard to swallow. Easter is an ambitious stew of ideas, styles and sounds. It is a fearless experiment that is complex in flavor but somewhat disproportioned and off-balanced. Who knows what the next album (and maybe some lineup solidifying) will bring?



- ALLEN HUANG."

One of the most underrated bands in america

H. Wilson Ligon Jr. | 01/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"these arms are snakes are without a doubt my favorite rock (just to keep things simple let's just say rock) band in America right now. Easter outdoes the first two albums in a big way, and I liked Oxeneers a lot. their music is unbelievable, you have to really pay attention to these guys or you miss a lot.

I was lucky enough to see them in Columbia, SC about 2 months ago at a club where not more than 40-50 people were (because people there are apparently idiots, i drove 2 hours just for the show) and they absolutely killed. it was one of the best shows I've ever seen, America needs to hear this band...they are the cure for every mainstream, dry, disposable band (i agree with the previous reviewer about the "these arms are 'disco'") that i can think of. please please support these guys, they know exactly what they are doing."