02: Arms – Kids Aflame
Melodic Records

Kids Aflame is a consistently strong collection of quirky, melancholic pop songs that feel oddly familiar and comforting, like a lost favorite from high school or college that induces pleasant nostalgia upon rediscovery. Built equally around swooping vocal melodies and catchy, well-crafted guitars, Todd Goldstein (also of the Harlem Shakes) fleshes out his sound with eclectic percussion, the occasional synth and whatever else he had lying around, creating a true multi-instrumental effect that’s reminiscent of Stephen Merritt on multiple levels (particularly his distinctive, melodramatic croon). While this record is well constructed and executed, what’s drawn me back to it consistently over the last year is a kind of aching, honest sincerity that elevates these songs beyond the sum of their parts.

Labels: 2008 Recap, Album Review, Arms