The Blood Arm - Lie Lover Lie

have only gone and got themselves ‘slick’! Where the raw beauty of ‘Bomb Romantics’ matched perfectly the band’s ramshackle live act, and mirrored the fact that such events were more like a party than a gig, ‘Lie Lover Lie’ shows a more controlled side to the band: they’re taking it seriously.

For, while the album’s clear highlights are oldies ‘Do I Have Your Attention’ (re-worked with extra ‘yeah’s of course) and ‘Suspicious Character’ (a song so infectious you’ll leave singing it even if they’re first on), the Adam Green-esque ‘Angela’, Franz stylings of ‘Mass Murder’ and almost-as-laid-back-as-The Strokes closer ‘Dolores Delivers A Glorious Death’ all show a band who in indulging their every whim on a record (‘Yo I lay down some fuckin’ hits’ as frontman Nathaniel proclaims before we’ve heard a note), haven’t shied away from taking influence from the here and now.

An acquired taste it may be, but Nathaniel’s snarling vocals combined with the blues-y piano sounds and handclaps aplenty, ‘Lie Lover Lie’ is a heady mix, and in true style is as damn near a party on a CD as you’re going to get. Even if it is a shame they’ve left some gems behind in their streamlining process (we miss ‘How We Were Eaten By Wild Animals’. Seriously).