Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Arrow, by Heartless Bastards

For most of my adult life I have worked at record stores. One can only listen to the Beatles so many times (though I'm testing that statement everyday). So, with whim on my side I'll often throw on an unfamiliar album, generally intrigued by the cover, a choice record label, or a mention from a trustworthy friend. About two years ago I threw on the Heartless Bastards' second full-length, All This Time. Most of the time, these "whim" albums fade into the background of work; though, sometimes they are so bad they turn an enjoyable job into actual "work" and get tossed in the recycle bin to save future listeners. Not so the Bastards. Within the first seven seconds of the album, I was a fan. The record demanded attention and sounded like the salvation of rock 'n' roll - great tones, big guitars, smart lyrics, a tight band, and Erika Wennerstrom's unique and powerful voice.

On their fourth album, Arrow, their first for Partisan Records, they are on the path toward greater rock 'n' roll redemption. The opening track "Marathon," allows each member to slowly enter and provide a delicate cradle for Wennerstrom's confident and lofty voice. It builds slowly until the coda explodes with the simple, yet anthemic, "I'm on my way, I'm on my way home." She doesn't shout over the robust drum fills and wall of guitars, but she doesn't need to; in this case, the power is in her subtlety. "Only for You" is a breezy summer rocker with a lush falsetto. On "Simple Feeling," the Bastards return to the garage-blues roots of their first record. On "Arrow Killed the Beast," the band falls into slow-burn time with sparse drums worthy of an ancient war march. The closer, "Down in the Canyon," opens with a crushing guitar riff from 1971. This song finds its potency in patience and restraint. It is as quiet and delicate as it is HUGE and pummeling. The Heartless Bastards are what rock 'n' roll should aspire to: dynamic and diverse, unrelenting and unapologetic.

Sponsored
Sponsored
  • Album: Arrow
  • Artist: Heartless Bastards
  • Label: Partisan Record
  • Songs: (1) Marathon (2) Parted Ways (3) Got to Have Rock and Roll (4) Only For You (5) Simple Feeling (6) Skin and Bone (7) The Arrow Killed the Beast (8) Late in the Night (9) Low Low Low (10) Down in the Canyon

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mary Catherine Swanson wants every San Diego student going to college

Where busing from Southeast San Diego to University City has led

For most of my adult life I have worked at record stores. One can only listen to the Beatles so many times (though I'm testing that statement everyday). So, with whim on my side I'll often throw on an unfamiliar album, generally intrigued by the cover, a choice record label, or a mention from a trustworthy friend. About two years ago I threw on the Heartless Bastards' second full-length, All This Time. Most of the time, these "whim" albums fade into the background of work; though, sometimes they are so bad they turn an enjoyable job into actual "work" and get tossed in the recycle bin to save future listeners. Not so the Bastards. Within the first seven seconds of the album, I was a fan. The record demanded attention and sounded like the salvation of rock 'n' roll - great tones, big guitars, smart lyrics, a tight band, and Erika Wennerstrom's unique and powerful voice.

On their fourth album, Arrow, their first for Partisan Records, they are on the path toward greater rock 'n' roll redemption. The opening track "Marathon," allows each member to slowly enter and provide a delicate cradle for Wennerstrom's confident and lofty voice. It builds slowly until the coda explodes with the simple, yet anthemic, "I'm on my way, I'm on my way home." She doesn't shout over the robust drum fills and wall of guitars, but she doesn't need to; in this case, the power is in her subtlety. "Only for You" is a breezy summer rocker with a lush falsetto. On "Simple Feeling," the Bastards return to the garage-blues roots of their first record. On "Arrow Killed the Beast," the band falls into slow-burn time with sparse drums worthy of an ancient war march. The closer, "Down in the Canyon," opens with a crushing guitar riff from 1971. This song finds its potency in patience and restraint. It is as quiet and delicate as it is HUGE and pummeling. The Heartless Bastards are what rock 'n' roll should aspire to: dynamic and diverse, unrelenting and unapologetic.

Sponsored
Sponsored
  • Album: Arrow
  • Artist: Heartless Bastards
  • Label: Partisan Record
  • Songs: (1) Marathon (2) Parted Ways (3) Got to Have Rock and Roll (4) Only For You (5) Simple Feeling (6) Skin and Bone (7) The Arrow Killed the Beast (8) Late in the Night (9) Low Low Low (10) Down in the Canyon
Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Next Article

East San Diego County has only one bike lane

So you can get out of town – from Santee to Tierrasanta
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader