kids aflame

Arms - Jon the Escalator

One of the very few artists I like enough to make it onto both best-of lists we've done so far, Brooklyn's Arms (aka Todd Goldstein) has finally completed his debut album, Kids Aflame, and it is joyous. There's truly not a bad song on here, and it manages to be remarkably consistent given the variety between songs - it's completely exceeded my already high expectations. From the instrumental beginning of 'Sabretooth Typist' to the crashing drums of the excellent 'Tiger Tamer' (newly recorded), Kids Aflame rocks, shudders, weeps, and smiles as it sees you reach to hit play again.
The above song is one of the best introductions here, from its gentle guitar playing to the sudden increase in scale wrought by the chorus: not with cheap studio tricks, or an orchestra, but by virtue of the sheer emotion produced. It's a hard album from which to pick a favourite, but this one comes closest.
Since I'm obviously over-enthusiastic about this record, I thought it might be a good idea to let Todd talk about it a little.

Hello Todd!
Hey there, Shane!

How long has your album been in the making?
I've been working on Kids Aflame in some form or another for about three years. Most of it was recorded in a series of friends' basements and in the bedrooms of the apartments I've lived in. And all the mixing was done on my computer, in my spare moments between working my copyediting job and playing with Harlem Shakes.


How are you releasing it, and will you be touring?
It'll be out on melodic records in the UK in early June, but, you know, you can get it pretty much everywhere else too through the usual internet places, iTunes and such. I'm hoping I'll get to tour at some point, but the Shakes keep me very, very busy. (We're right now in the studio, on the first day of making our record. very exciting.)

Are you happy with it?
Sweet lord yes. I've finally got some distance from it now, and considering all the tinkering, experimenting, and screwing up that went to it, i think it's a damn pretty-sounding record.

What does 'Kids Aflame' mean?
Kids aflame are a kind of werewolf-like being - kids that have been set on fire, and go setting other kids on fire, infecting them.

What in the heck is Jon the Escalator about?
That's an older song, actually. I was going through a sort of depressive time when I wrote it. Jon the Escalator is a guy who is also an escalator, but has stalled out, 'turned into stairs.'

What would you do for a living if you weren't making music?
Probably teaching younger grades, 1st and 2nd or so. I actually had to turn down a job teaching 1st grade right around when I started playing with Harlem Shakes. It was a tough choice, but I'll definitely come back to it once all this rock-music-playing nonsense blows over.

What are your influences, and do you think they're visible on this album?
I love the melancholy weirdos -- Neil Young, Pedro the Lion, Mark Kozelek, David Byrne, Scott Walker, Magnetic Fields. I'm a huge fan of Low, as well, and shoegaze bands like Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and so forth. I hope that stuff comes through! I certainly listen to it enough.

Who did the album artwork?
My amazing friend Leah Beeferman, who is my partner in the Sea & the Gulls, drew it. She's obsessed with buildings - the apartment in the picture is growing a series of balconies. I love the way her mind works, it's something to behold.

What has been your favourite music so far this year?
I am very into that Yeasayer album - Harlem Shakes played with them a few months back and they completely blew my head off. also, I am crazy about the new Fleet Foxes EP/album. it's got everything I want in music! A little old-timey country, huge harmonies, weird chord changes, really soulful/strange, and tons and tons of reverb. They're a band that makes me a little jealous, honestly.

How would you describe your music?
Pop songs, kinda sad, catchy melodies, noise, reverb, occasional uke.

{You can listen to some more songs from Kids Aflame on MySpace}