Festival – Come, Arrow, Come!

Festival – Come, Arrow, Come! / 2008 Language of Stone / 10 Tracks / http://www.funwithfestival.com /

“Come, Arrow, Come” could easily be an album from the late fifties or early sixties. This is because the opening track, “Fair and True”, has a cultish/religious sound to it that will remind individuals of a mix of the New Christy Minstrels and the folk music that would come a few short years after that. The classic sound of Festival continues through “Boxcar”, which increases the stakes dramatically through the use of two distinct sets of vocals. Instead of merely linking these sets of vocals together, Festival succeed here because they are detached, allowing each vocalist to achieve the best possible outcome for themselves. The shift of the band’s style to something a little more insistent and instrument-led gives the second half of this track a decidedly different feel than the first.

“Blown Light” is another strong track, adding to the band’s repertoire a twinkling type of sound, afforded the track by the presence of a xylophone. The same type of dissonant vocals come forth in a major way during this track, linking “Blown Light” inexorably to “Boxcar”. The compositions on “Come, Arrow, Come!” are a tad on the short side, leaving the album to wrap up well before Festival gets to the half-hour mark. However, the quaintness of the act is enough to ensure that this album has one of the highest replay values around. “Hold off the Earth” is one of the longer tracks on “Come, Arrow, Come!”, and it shows that Festival’s game plan for longer tracks is to meander around for a set period of time, accumulating listeners until that point where the track cannot sustain any more variations on a theme.  

None of the tracks will likely be present on anything but the most underground indie radio stations, but do not let this act as a reason why one cannot buy “Come, Arrow, Come!”. It is this smart blend of well-traveled genres and approaches to the creation of music and a current sensibility that makes Festival such a memorable band and “Come, Arrow, Come!” such a strong album. Without anything in the ay of chaff to be had during this album, Festival has taken that first strong step forward to be taken seriously when compared to acts like Veda Hille and Rasputina; hints of classical music, goth, folk, and a score of other influences come to pass during this diverse and dense album. If you like your music challenging but approachable, make it a point to pick up “Come, Arrow, Come!”.

Top Tracks: Return, Zebulon

Rating: 7.3/10

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