Arbouretum
Coming Out Of The Fog

Group searching for an identity? Where do these four guys from Maryland want to go? These are the recurring questions posed by the few who have followed the musical ventures of this band: from the understated beginnings of “Long Live The Well-Doer,” to the gem “Rites Of Uncovering,” and to a lesser work like “Song Of The Pearl.” “The Gathering” had shown us a band in good shape and capable of varying their offerings, venturing into rougher and more rock-inclined territories than before. But the feeling emanated by Arbouretum is that, in their now decade-long career, the band has still not managed to decipher a fully personal modus operandi, which could allow them to avoid slipping into “imitations” or an inconsistent and not quite homogeneous discography.

For all these reasons, the release of the fifth work “Coming Out Of The Fog” at the end of 2012 was awaited with curiosity: above all, there was a desire to discover if Dave Heumann would further explore the vast world of rock to find the environment most suitable for Arbouretum. Once again, the Baltimore group brings out a CD that searches for different solutions, but if in the past those attempts were convincing and had a touch of necessary naivety, the latest effort seems to wander here and there, without a precise goal. It must be said that COOTF has respectable tracks, starting with the splendid opener “The Long Night”, a paced rock track enriched by Heumann's timbre. More boldness in the guitar screeching of “All At Once, The Turning Weather”, particular precisely because it is far from the artistic baggage our group has shown us in the past.

But it is “Oceans Don’t Sing” that is the song of truth: the one that most reconnects to the psych and narcotic diversions of “Rites Of Uncovering.” A melancholic ballad first enriched by the vocal lines of an inspired Dave Heumann, then by the sinuous movements of a guitar capable of evoking the atmosphere of the splendid cover. As if Arbouretum could express themselves best by looking back, to those more reflective works that are probably still the most successful (I am referring in particular to “Rites Of Uncovering”).

For the rest, the full-length moves on coordinates not well-defined and tracks like “Renouncer”, “The Promise”, and the title track, while having their reason, do not manage to make the impact they should. They are not fillers but at the same time, they lack that “spark” to dispel this feeling.

The fifth release from Arbouretum is an album that once again underlines the work done by Heumann (without whom the band would make no sense) and unfortunately confirms once more a group of musicians unable to pinpoint their ideal horizon. The heterogeneity of the CD is reflected throughout the career of Arbouretum and actually constitutes a brake on reaching a certain compositional peak. One must wait for the fog of the new work to clear completely...

1. "The Long Night" (3:58)
2. "Renouncer" (4:55)
3. "The Promise" (5:07)
4. "Oceans Don't Sing" (5:33)
5. "All At Once, The Turning Weather" (6:46)
6. "World Split Open" (5:01)
7. "Easter Island" (2:45)
8. "Coming Out Of The Fog" (5:28)