- by Chris Reynolds
- Sunday, September 24, 2006
- filed in: Indie
Share
If you left Reading festival this year singing “I like all the girls and all the girls like me” to yourself then Zachary, Zebastian, Nathaniel and Dyan aka The Blood Arm are striking a chord with the British public. Their new single ‘Suspicious Character’ is so infectious they didn’t even need to be anywhere near Richfield Avenue on the bank holiday weekend for thousands of people to be singing it. So they claim the coveted ‘best song in between bands on the main stage’ title for 2006 and they’ve since marched on and are set to release their debut album ‘Lie Lover Lie’. Judging by the success of their single this could be a great end to the year for LA’s newest indie rockers.
If you left Reading festival this year singing “I like all the girls and all the girls like me” to yourself then Zachary, Zebastian, Nathaniel and Dyan aka The Blood Arm are striking a chord with the British public. Their new single ‘Suspicious Character’ is so infectious they didn’t even need to be anywhere near Richfield Avenue on the bank holiday weekend for thousands of people to be singing it. So they claim the coveted ‘best song in between bands on the main stage’ title for 2006 and they’ve since marched on and are set to release their debut album ‘Lie Lover Lie’. Judging by the success of their single this could be a great end to the year for LA’s newest indie rockers.
The first thing that strikes you when listening to this album is the utter confidence with which vocalist Nathaniel Fregoso goes about his work. ‘Angela’ and album closer ‘Dolores Delivers A Glorious Death’ are perfect examples with Fregoso sounding relaxed and ultra smooth whilst being backed up all the time by fantastic piano lines. Their video for ‘Suspicious Character’ sees him strutting around whilst pouting away at the camera and this delightfully egotistical character works perfectly for the type of music the Blood Arm are creating.
They come across as a mix between English and American indie with ‘Accidental Soul’ reminding you of the Kaiser Chiefs while ‘Mass Murder’ is a more straight up punky Be Your Own Pet style offering. They slip up at points including the somewhat ill advised song ‘Going To Arizona’ which feels more like a campfire sing-along than a serious album track, a poor example of changing the pace. Overall though there is a dancefloor charm to their music, punctuated by Dyan’s piano and the confidence which flows from the four-piece.
The Blood Arm are guaranteed to fuel the discotheque for a few months yet with as many as 6 or 7 obvious single choices and if you take them on face value you should love them. The catchy guitar, assured vocals and occasionally funky bass ensure this is the perfect debut to capture the listener’s imagination. Rather than being an album to come back to this is the sort of long player that stays lodged in your CD player for a month until the words are etched onto your skull and that can only be good news for Zachary, Zebastian, Nathaniel and Dyan.
Pulp - 'Different Class' (Island) Released 11/09/06... Next 
Saturday 25/11/06 The Insomniac's Ball @ SeOne Club, London
Saturday 23/09/06 The Blood Arm, Neon Plastix, Late Of The Pier @ The Plug, Sheffield
The Blood Arm - Suspicious Character
The Blood Arm - 'Suspicious Character' (City Rockers) Released 11/09/06
Wednesday 24/08/05 The Blood Arm, The Sunshine Underground @ 100 Club, London
Alice Cooper Brings His Rock N' Roll Theatrics To Manchester - Photos
Lady Gaga, Madonna, Bono - When Music Stars Fall Over! 
Codeine Velvet Club Hit The South Coast - Photos
Register now and have your comments approved automatically!