Band: Crazy Arm
Release: The Southern Wild
Release Date: Out Now!
Punk goes folk with Crazy Arm’s acoustic album ‘The Southern Wild’. A nod to the traditional sees the band part ways with their punk roots and experiment with acoustic folk elements whilst retaining their punk heart with impassioned affections. Exquisite eerie opener ‘Oh Death’emerges with Vicky Butterfield’s stunning a capella vocals as we are taken away with her voice which is joined by Darren John’s as the track twangs in with ‘Hell To Pay’. Crazy Arm bring all the rasping punk emotion with empathising folk elements. ‘Remembrance’ builds up vocal harmonies with galloping acoustics whereas ‘Don’t Be Cruel’s’ stomping country elements with copious lashings of banjos and fiddles can prove to any dubious fans that there is more than one country style. Hearing Crazy Arm take on these styles is refreshing and engaging, with each track their music appears more and more accessible to to listeners who may have never given Crazy Arm a chance before.
‘County Jaws’ taps in with a sixties vibe that will have you spinning as the band swell together – the track rising as each instrument alternates the other. Proving that although this is a deviation from their previous sound it is an experiment that has worked. ‘A Pocketful Of Gold’ represents the perfect acoustic track, intertwining relatable family lyrics and addictive strings that may leave you wishing you’d learnt to play guitar. ‘We Don’t Go There’ infects with its beautiful duo vocal harmonies of both Vicky and John whilst flawlessly fiddling into an anthemic end.
The softer nature of Crazy Arm is not to be reckoned with, each track comes with as much angst and deep rooted emotion as any punk track but what really brings it to the table is that ‘The Southern Wild’ brings so many folk and country elements from the instruments to the duo harmonies and the beautiful layering that the album is perfect, stripped back and honest. Although this may not be for all Crazy Arm fans it will guarantee them some new ones.
8/10
Review by: Amber Carniege
