C. Arden Hinds Delivers An Addictive Set of Songs
- BuzzSlayers
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
A massively experimental and diverse record from C. Arden Hinds delivers everything from attitude-riddled rock to ambient and spacious soundscapes, with plenty in between, bringing out vast undertones, gritty riffs, and lush pallets that portray a lot of different sides of the artist's songwriting approaches.
One of my favorite things about the record is that it is so eclectic in general. It really showcases someone who doesn't hold anything back. He's writing music for the sake of writing it. He's not binding himself to specific genres in particular, but rather writing music with a certain sense of freedom behind it.
I definitely dig that approach, and this is a big record spanning 18 tracks with loads of surprises around its corners.
"The Wet Parade" introduces the record and does so with an amazing approach and a great way to open the door for the rest of the release.
The track has an amazing rhythm to it along with heavy-handed bass guitar tones, and this great sort of echo effect on the vocals that add layers and a bit of depth to it.
This is an indie rock track but it's done with style. It's got a particular kind of elegance to it and it's performance, and still has great edginess and it's overtime.
"Into The Dream" gets way more experimental, spacious, and alternative, in my opinion.
This is also a track where you can really feel the heft of that bass guitar.
It also has an almost theatrical underbelly and is very experimental in terms of bringing different kinds of textures to the plate and creating something that feels robust, still has the alternative edge, but is branching out into different territory.
The vocal effect on this one has a bit of amp simulation or distortion on it, which also pushes a bit more of the edginess, but in a different way, and the whole thing comes through brilliantly.
Then we have songs like "No Telephone No Camera", which has an outstanding rock riff to it, a bit more heaviness in its songwriting and performance, and still has a bit of vocal effects to add more punch.
This is one of the tracks that showcases both the catchy but heavy rock songwriting, while still remaining a bit experimental, outside the box, and free.
None of this is tied down, as I mentioned earlier. This is a record created with fewer boundaries than whatever you may be used to.
I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of it because by the time you get halfway through, you begin to expect the unexpected.
As I said, there are plenty of surprises around the corners of this record, and that was no lie.
"Broken Butterfly" bleeds into an almost post-punk sort of feel with cleaner guitars that bring back the cinematic ambience, and does so with this amazing sense of '90s rock aesthetic attached to it.
You can definitely hear a slew of influences coming into play throughout the record's unfolding, and a lot of tracks have a way of wrapping themselves around you.
The song boasts some outstanding vocals, and maybe one of my favorites on the record.
This track alone gives you a lot to chew on and also showcases pop sensibility.
Some songs are meant to be a little bit more avant-garde, while others are heavy but catchy at the same time. A lot of the time, he holds on tightly to that pop tonality, while other times, he tucks them away into the corners of the songs where you can still hear them, but underneath the layers of experimental tonality and approach.
"Emily Sleeping In" is an acoustic pop-rock type of song that feels inspired by loads of classic rock.
This may be one of my favorite ones vocally. The vocals on this track have such a great hook to them, and you end up hearing the song bouncing around in your head for hours or even days after the song has ended.
The only way to satiate that is to go back and listen to it again.
You can also tell there was a lot of thought put into the track listing of the record. There are great little breaks and breathers in between certain kinds of songs so that it's broken up in a way that lets it flow.
There's never a dull moment, but rather a flux of rock songwriting creativity and the ability to blend and sculpt sound at the same time.
It is a rock record. Of the songs sit firmly under the rock umbrella, but just spread out into different subgenres and songwriting styles.
Although it's a big record, I definitely suggest listening to the whole thing in one shot.
Although the songs I have mentioned already stand on their own two feet as singles, listening to the whole album at once gives you a full experience. There are stories to be told, emotions to be had, and all these different moods to experience.
The guitar work across the record is outstanding, as are the vocals, and you can tell a lot of attention was paid to arrangements of songs because some of the songs are incredibly radio-friendly. Like this one.
"Emily Sleeping In" is a song you can definitely hear on a radio station.
You can also hear the song in a scene of a film as well. Once again, there is this cinematic bearing that a lot of the songs hold, and certain tracks give you a little bit more depth than others, while there are songs that go a little wild with these tones of the instruments and vocals, experimentation, and just having fun with everything.
The attitude and energy across this record are completely infectious, and it's not something you want to miss.
So, take a deep dive into this record as soon as you can and remember where you heard it first.
Comments