Granted, it is still early, but I can easily see Black Paris 86 staying at the top of my favorites list through the year. And, in reality, when have all those things blended together ever produced something bad? After Butterflycatcher, the album goes back to its dark and mellow ways and finishes up abruptly, perfectly leading perfectly to the beginning of the album. Butterflycatcher, my personal favorite track from the album, only has one issue: it doesn t fit in with any of the other tracks - it s far too happy for the release, featuring bells, horns, claps, electronic beats, and a girl seemingly trying to recreate the sounds of a whale. "Warm" is as addicting as most tracks get, featuring subtle electronics coupled with deep drones and a beat which easily gets stuck in the listener's head. Speaking of Warm, it isn t a new track to the band it was released in 2006 on their EP titled Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive, however I couldn t possibly see anyone arguing over the band's choice to put the track on another release. Moans/undecipherable vocals are periodically used throughout the album in tracks such as Black Paris 86 and Warm. The next I am reminded of Small Sails, but in a darker, more mysterious mood.
One minute I'm convinced that I'm listening to a tighter version of Radium88, with electronic and trip hop vibes running strong. Black Paris 86 draws influences from a variety of genres and this is reflected in the stylistic changes across the album. What we get is a band that has morphed itself into a model for what the trip-hop ambient fusion genre has to offer. Thankfully enough, for me at least, the band has focused and condensed its music and reinvented themselves for the new album. Previous releases were completely ambient driven and had very little substance and very little to hook the listener in. Black Paris 86 shows us a completely different band then the Arms and Sleepers we've come to know and expect. After a few listens I was completely hooked on A&S' dynamic sound, then when I got my hands on their previous CDs I gained even more appreciation for the band's newest effort. The style they achieve on Black Paris 86 is a type of electronic/ambient fusion akin to bands like Radium88 and Lights Out Asia, though there's certainly enough individuality on the album to differentiate them from their peers. The band's music is fast paced, catchy, and mellow - exactly the type of music I dream about and easily fall in love with. Quote From the very first listen, Arms and Sleepers immediately grabbed my attention.
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