Product Description
On Heartless Bastards' new record, Arrow, the eccentric, hypnotic nature of songwriter Erika Wennerstrom's voice is captured by producer Jim Eno (Spoon) who helps blend the bands driving, straight-forward Rock 'N' Roll into a record that sounds unique and refreshing. Arrow instantly feels fearless and marks a major step forward for a band who continues develop with every release. Thanks to support from the likes of David Letterman, NPR, and a cameo appearance in the hit NBC show Friday Night Lights, Heartless Bastards show no sign of slowing down. Their past three albums have consecutive increases in sales from 20K (Stairs and Elevators) to 30K (All This Time) to 40K (The Mountain). Early press feedback has been unanimously positive, the most common response is that of Arrow being the Heartless Bastards' career-defining record. Perhaps most exciting are the early indicators at radio, with WXPN, KCRW, WFPK, WFUV, KUT, and KXT already adding the record to their rotation.

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On their fourth album, the Ohio minimalist rockers haven’t made any drastic changes to their aesthetic or approach to songwriting, but there is a discernible increase in the quality and strength of the tunes that makes it the band’s best record so far.

The Bastards have always been a vehicle to showcase Erika Wennerstrom’s wonderfully androgynous and powerful voice that sounds like it would be just as at home belting tunes about black magic and dark spirits as it is personal tales of love, loss and general weariness, the latter which she tends to opt for.

On “Marathon,” the six-minute opener to Arrow, Wennerstrom uses the race as a metaphor for being on the road, being alone and trying to find her way back home. As the song ascends from a quiet and simple chord progression to chaotic dynamics with Wennerstrom declaring that “I’m on my way home,” it represents the band at their best—honest, emotionally charged and easy to connect with. On the record’s first single “Parted Ways,” she continues with the same theme. Mourning a lost love, she sings about the hum of the wheels and being a long way from home, but this time over a bouncy progression with a proper guitar solo. When she sings “I need a little bit of whiskey and a little bit of time, to ease my troubled mind,” she pretty much sums up what its like to listen to a Heartless Bastards record, particularly this one. Put it on, pour yourself a drink, and things will probably start to make a little more sense.

Wennerstrom has said that this is the most cohesive that they have been as a band when recording an album, and the evidence couldn’t be more abundant. — Paste

01. Marathon
02. Parted Ways
03. Got To Have Rock And Roll
04. Only For You
05. Simple Feeling
06. Skin And Bone
07. The Arrow Killed The Beast
08. Late In The Night
09. Low Low Low
10. Down In The Canyon

Bonus Tracks:
The vinyl edition includes two bonus tracks: (TBD)
The iTunes edition includes "Bye Bye Baby Blues"

CD:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LEHOOO/?tag=imwan-20

MP3:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006VOPR7K/?tag=imwan-20

LP:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LEHOP8/?tag=imwan-20

I have two of their albums -"Stairs & Elevators" and "The Mountain"- both very good. Sounds like I will be picking up this new one soon.

Been listening to the new album throughout the day. It's more classic-rock sounding that their past releases, at least to my ears. Much as I like the album, I still prefer their back catalog over this one. Favorite tracks here include "Skin and Bone", "Got To Have Rock And Roll", Down in the Canyon" and "Marathon".

Top drawer release. I like it better than "The Mountain" and I like "The Mountain" a LOT!