Hope still flickers, as long as we dream
Finally Nov 7th the UK time, here arrives the album I have been longing for. I have no idea how many people are also looking forward to this debut album like I do. Their music to me is love at first listen. That’s no exaggeration if I claim it as one of my most anticipating albums of the year. After listening to it several times, I am now deeply trapped in love with this duo.
There are so many fantastic artists from Sweden, one of the most productive country in the music industry. Particularly regarding the electronic pop music, no need to mention their immense influence to this business in the whole world. And I am almost certain to say, “The Sound of Arrows” may be now just a morning sun over the horizon like what is depicted on the front cover, but they will turn themselves into a glorious superstar soon in the near future.
Their music has such a catchy melody which easily captures attention. The combination of old-school electronic beats and a melancholy soft male volcal strikes a chord with the listeners, meanwhile evokes sentiment and nostalgia. Beauty arises from the chidren’s backgound chior which echoes through the heart. If you take a second listen to the volcal, you may surprisingly find that there is a highly significant resemblance between Stefan (vocals of “Sound of Arrows”) and the British synth-pop icon Neil Tennant (vocals of “Pet Shop Boys”).
People started to know this duo 2 years ago when their first single “Into the Coulds” was independently released and became one of the most downloaded songs in the UK in that week. The following single “Nova” and “MAGIC”, featured in many commercial tv ads, assisted them to spread out the reputation. However, I still personally think that they haven’t yet got the attention which they deserve. They posted the promo video a while ago which I would call an epic production! This cinematic teaser video(as posted below) contains the footage clips from the only three released music video “Into the Clouds”, “Nova” and “MAGIC”. The featured song combines the beginning of “Into the Clouds” and the latter half of “There is Still Hope”, which is my favorite track in the whole album.
“In the darkest of days, one dreams the biggest of dreams. Close your eyes, and the world is ours.”
This album is dedicated to those who are lying in between the real and ideal world struggling to accept the truth of the non-existence of “MAGIC”. As indicated in the promo video, as long as we keep our dreams, hhope still flickers somewhere not far way.
Track by Track:
Into the Clouds: 10/10
The duo kicks off the "voyage" with a stunning intro. As a gradual brighter tone arises from the background, gloomy clouds get cleared up unveiling the splendour in the sky. Such feeling conveyed by this intro is exactly what is depicted on the cover. Stephan's soft and dreamy volcal gives off an ambient and spacey vib, leading listeners to a heavenly wonderland deep inside the clouds. "The journey begins|Where nothing could stop us|Nothing forever...If we stick together", as a perfect opening song for the whole album, Sound of Arrows brings us along with them and sets off on an euphoric trip, a journey full of pleasant surprise and expectation.
Wonders: 10/10
A fast-tempo dance track following after the intro is the "Wonders", which inherits the characteristic upbeat of the "Nova". "I'll never forget how you made me feel|I'll never forget When you and I", a lamentable relationship is concealed beneath the disguise of a hyperly danceable melody, which is absolutely attractive and catchy. The epic instrumental synth lines coming in between the penetrating vocals create a vast atomosphere echoed with a voice with a sombre saddness. As one of the two singles released just before the album came out, "Wonders" tremendously triggered our appetite and greatly enhanced our expectation for this eagerly awaited record. What a marvellous work!
My Shadows: 9/10
Stephan's narrative-like singing exhibits a striking resemblance to Neil(aka Pet Shop boys) in the verses, accompined by the recurring synth lines with an 80's electronic mid-tempo . As the chorus goes on, "The only one that got my back is my shadow, my shadow", a sad image of a lonely drifter aimlessly wandering in this earthly world was pictured in mind, and a stream of melanchly descended upon us.
Magic: 10/10
"Yesterday, I had the longest ever dream that the world was endless with possibilities. It had me thinking, one should never forget that there are wonders, we haven't seen yet. Seize a chance, follow a dream. Be yourself, don't plan and scheme. For what we do, won't matter that much. Puzzles and wonders. Mysteries and such."
I extremely love this lyrics, spiritual uplifting and moral encouraging, just like a therapy to those who are blindly pursuing what they are after with all the childhood wonders and dreams left behind. The breathy maturity of Stephan's vocal backgrounded by the tender delicacy of the children's choir creates such a harmonious combination, a “Magic” moment. As the kids chanted “The WORLD is full of MAGIC”, the idea conveyed by this song is self-explanatory, as one needs retain a childish innocence to dream and embrace all the possibilities and uncertainties in the life. Another memorable masterpiece by Sound of Arrows, I am sure it will be another hit.
Ruins of Rome: 10/10
This track standouts among the all because it not only employs again the children’ choir as the back vocal, but also an old-school type beat which is overflowed with sentiment and melancholy. The song starts with another Pet Shop Boys-like verse, followed by a repeating chant, which goes “Love is what I choose. The ruins of Rome, take the first plane home. The ruins of Rome, I just wanna go home.” The song is about love, of which the tone in general is slightly down but the feeling behind the vocal however is quite warm. The echoing and the delicacy of the vocal bring about an emotional moment, in which the listeners helplessly indulge themselves, trapped and submerged by this overwhelming sombreness. What a triumphant masterpiece!
Longest Ever Dream: 9/10
The title correlates with the “Magic” song, as taken out from the first verse. Compared to the other songs, I personally think this track is a bit plain in terms of the composition. However, the duo colorized it by exploiting a female singer as the lead vocal with a fast-tempo synth lines and drumbeat throughout the whole song. It turned out to be a successful attempt, with a lovely and pleasing surprise.
Hurting All the Way: 10+/10
“Follow the lines. Obey the rules. Don’t loose yourself. Don’t be a fool. Life wasn’t a easy game to play…Yes, it was hurting all the way.” The downbeat of the tone and the cruel reality unveiled by the lyrics remind us of the melancholy mood carried by “Ruins of Rome” song. This track is such a short piece, however soaked with endless beauty of tranquillity, peace and sullenness. Stephan’s synthesized voice exhibits a bit mechanical texture and echoes through the vast ambient space, calm and floating. There is not so much drastic change of either the tone or the rhythm, but I can’t stop myself repeating listening, which makes me believe it is among one of the few that will haunt me in the future.
Conquest: 9/10
This track adopts a quite pop style performed in an uplifting mode. The melody is catchy, funky and exquisite, like a typical and classy Swedish-made. It is an anthem for triumph and victory. The underlying concept is about pursuing what you want, trying your best to seize what you are after and enjoying the great moment of success. Not bad, but less surprise.
Nova: 10/10
“Sound of Arrows” is now at the last state of energy accumulation, which is so close to the final expansion followed by a stunning explosion to turn into a “Nova”, a brighter new star. This track has a dynamic flow with a danceable fast-tempo, quite similar to the “Wonders” song, depicting a picture of a sailing boat heroically breaking the wave and proceeding up and down against the wind, which is what the “Voyage” theme all about.
There Is Still Hope: 10+/10
Here comes the masterpiece, a majestic production of this album and the climax of the journey! Pioneered by scattered electronic beeps, was the dawn of a new day. A trumpet-like euphoric prelude diffused from the far distance, a beam of sunshine broke the endless dark of the night. Along with the gradual brighter synth lines, a silhouette slowly showed up from below the horizon and started rising up. Abruptly, “Through the fear and fire, pass all the last struggle. Within the darkest hour, there is still hope…”, as the vocal lit up, the splendid sun turned into a whole figure and shot out all the light and heat starting to glory. “The sun will always shine, burning with hope”, the freezing world then got rapidly warmed up, as well as my heart, thanks to the hope. As the refrain “Never go away…you come back to me” starts fading, the song comes into completion in the conclusion of “HOPE”, the theme throughout the whole album. The song starts with a gloomy tone, extends by an uplifting melody and ends with an utterly victorious ecstasy. One of the most epic songs I have ever heard in my whole life! Brilliant, triumphant, marvellous! It won’t be a surprise if it is heard again when the credits are shown after the movie, because it is more than better to be featured in a motion picture.
Lost City: 10+/10
Pure instrumental masterpiece, another triumphant production, which wraps up all the elements, lament, nostalgia, dream, love and hope altogether completing the whole record. I feel the same as what “There Is Still Hope” conveys, it will be a pity if it is not featured in the credits for a motion picture.
Thank god that they’ve signed with a major label in the UK which means that their tour here won’t be long waiting! If they come to the UK, who is with me?
There are so many fantastic artists from Sweden, one of the most productive country in the music industry. Particularly regarding the electronic pop music, no need to mention their immense influence to this business in the whole world. And I am almost certain to say, “The Sound of Arrows” may be now just a morning sun over the horizon like what is depicted on the front cover, but they will turn themselves into a glorious superstar soon in the near future.
Their music has such a catchy melody which easily captures attention. The combination of old-school electronic beats and a melancholy soft male volcal strikes a chord with the listeners, meanwhile evokes sentiment and nostalgia. Beauty arises from the chidren’s backgound chior which echoes through the heart. If you take a second listen to the volcal, you may surprisingly find that there is a highly significant resemblance between Stefan (vocals of “Sound of Arrows”) and the British synth-pop icon Neil Tennant (vocals of “Pet Shop Boys”).
People started to know this duo 2 years ago when their first single “Into the Coulds” was independently released and became one of the most downloaded songs in the UK in that week. The following single “Nova” and “MAGIC”, featured in many commercial tv ads, assisted them to spread out the reputation. However, I still personally think that they haven’t yet got the attention which they deserve. They posted the promo video a while ago which I would call an epic production! This cinematic teaser video(as posted below) contains the footage clips from the only three released music video “Into the Clouds”, “Nova” and “MAGIC”. The featured song combines the beginning of “Into the Clouds” and the latter half of “There is Still Hope”, which is my favorite track in the whole album.
“In the darkest of days, one dreams the biggest of dreams. Close your eyes, and the world is ours.”
This album is dedicated to those who are lying in between the real and ideal world struggling to accept the truth of the non-existence of “MAGIC”. As indicated in the promo video, as long as we keep our dreams, hhope still flickers somewhere not far way.
Track by Track:
Into the Clouds: 10/10
The duo kicks off the "voyage" with a stunning intro. As a gradual brighter tone arises from the background, gloomy clouds get cleared up unveiling the splendour in the sky. Such feeling conveyed by this intro is exactly what is depicted on the cover. Stephan's soft and dreamy volcal gives off an ambient and spacey vib, leading listeners to a heavenly wonderland deep inside the clouds. "The journey begins|Where nothing could stop us|Nothing forever...If we stick together", as a perfect opening song for the whole album, Sound of Arrows brings us along with them and sets off on an euphoric trip, a journey full of pleasant surprise and expectation.
Wonders: 10/10
A fast-tempo dance track following after the intro is the "Wonders", which inherits the characteristic upbeat of the "Nova". "I'll never forget how you made me feel|I'll never forget When you and I", a lamentable relationship is concealed beneath the disguise of a hyperly danceable melody, which is absolutely attractive and catchy. The epic instrumental synth lines coming in between the penetrating vocals create a vast atomosphere echoed with a voice with a sombre saddness. As one of the two singles released just before the album came out, "Wonders" tremendously triggered our appetite and greatly enhanced our expectation for this eagerly awaited record. What a marvellous work!
My Shadows: 9/10
Stephan's narrative-like singing exhibits a striking resemblance to Neil(aka Pet Shop boys) in the verses, accompined by the recurring synth lines with an 80's electronic mid-tempo . As the chorus goes on, "The only one that got my back is my shadow, my shadow", a sad image of a lonely drifter aimlessly wandering in this earthly world was pictured in mind, and a stream of melanchly descended upon us.
Magic: 10/10
"Yesterday, I had the longest ever dream that the world was endless with possibilities. It had me thinking, one should never forget that there are wonders, we haven't seen yet. Seize a chance, follow a dream. Be yourself, don't plan and scheme. For what we do, won't matter that much. Puzzles and wonders. Mysteries and such."
I extremely love this lyrics, spiritual uplifting and moral encouraging, just like a therapy to those who are blindly pursuing what they are after with all the childhood wonders and dreams left behind. The breathy maturity of Stephan's vocal backgrounded by the tender delicacy of the children's choir creates such a harmonious combination, a “Magic” moment. As the kids chanted “The WORLD is full of MAGIC”, the idea conveyed by this song is self-explanatory, as one needs retain a childish innocence to dream and embrace all the possibilities and uncertainties in the life. Another memorable masterpiece by Sound of Arrows, I am sure it will be another hit.
Ruins of Rome: 10/10
This track standouts among the all because it not only employs again the children’ choir as the back vocal, but also an old-school type beat which is overflowed with sentiment and melancholy. The song starts with another Pet Shop Boys-like verse, followed by a repeating chant, which goes “Love is what I choose. The ruins of Rome, take the first plane home. The ruins of Rome, I just wanna go home.” The song is about love, of which the tone in general is slightly down but the feeling behind the vocal however is quite warm. The echoing and the delicacy of the vocal bring about an emotional moment, in which the listeners helplessly indulge themselves, trapped and submerged by this overwhelming sombreness. What a triumphant masterpiece!
Longest Ever Dream: 9/10
The title correlates with the “Magic” song, as taken out from the first verse. Compared to the other songs, I personally think this track is a bit plain in terms of the composition. However, the duo colorized it by exploiting a female singer as the lead vocal with a fast-tempo synth lines and drumbeat throughout the whole song. It turned out to be a successful attempt, with a lovely and pleasing surprise.
Hurting All the Way: 10+/10
“Follow the lines. Obey the rules. Don’t loose yourself. Don’t be a fool. Life wasn’t a easy game to play…Yes, it was hurting all the way.” The downbeat of the tone and the cruel reality unveiled by the lyrics remind us of the melancholy mood carried by “Ruins of Rome” song. This track is such a short piece, however soaked with endless beauty of tranquillity, peace and sullenness. Stephan’s synthesized voice exhibits a bit mechanical texture and echoes through the vast ambient space, calm and floating. There is not so much drastic change of either the tone or the rhythm, but I can’t stop myself repeating listening, which makes me believe it is among one of the few that will haunt me in the future.
Conquest: 9/10
This track adopts a quite pop style performed in an uplifting mode. The melody is catchy, funky and exquisite, like a typical and classy Swedish-made. It is an anthem for triumph and victory. The underlying concept is about pursuing what you want, trying your best to seize what you are after and enjoying the great moment of success. Not bad, but less surprise.
Nova: 10/10
“Sound of Arrows” is now at the last state of energy accumulation, which is so close to the final expansion followed by a stunning explosion to turn into a “Nova”, a brighter new star. This track has a dynamic flow with a danceable fast-tempo, quite similar to the “Wonders” song, depicting a picture of a sailing boat heroically breaking the wave and proceeding up and down against the wind, which is what the “Voyage” theme all about.
There Is Still Hope: 10+/10
Here comes the masterpiece, a majestic production of this album and the climax of the journey! Pioneered by scattered electronic beeps, was the dawn of a new day. A trumpet-like euphoric prelude diffused from the far distance, a beam of sunshine broke the endless dark of the night. Along with the gradual brighter synth lines, a silhouette slowly showed up from below the horizon and started rising up. Abruptly, “Through the fear and fire, pass all the last struggle. Within the darkest hour, there is still hope…”, as the vocal lit up, the splendid sun turned into a whole figure and shot out all the light and heat starting to glory. “The sun will always shine, burning with hope”, the freezing world then got rapidly warmed up, as well as my heart, thanks to the hope. As the refrain “Never go away…you come back to me” starts fading, the song comes into completion in the conclusion of “HOPE”, the theme throughout the whole album. The song starts with a gloomy tone, extends by an uplifting melody and ends with an utterly victorious ecstasy. One of the most epic songs I have ever heard in my whole life! Brilliant, triumphant, marvellous! It won’t be a surprise if it is heard again when the credits are shown after the movie, because it is more than better to be featured in a motion picture.
Lost City: 10+/10
Pure instrumental masterpiece, another triumphant production, which wraps up all the elements, lament, nostalgia, dream, love and hope altogether completing the whole record. I feel the same as what “There Is Still Hope” conveys, it will be a pity if it is not featured in the credits for a motion picture.
Thank god that they’ve signed with a major label in the UK which means that their tour here won’t be long waiting! If they come to the UK, who is with me?
