The Arsons

Too True To Be Good

[3.5/5] The Arsons, the band whose membership reads like a veritable who’s who of the NYHC/punk scene, deliver tasty melodic-yet-edgy punk a la Bouncing Souls, Screeching Weasel and, yes, Grey Area on their third full-length, Too True To Be Good. Featuring galloping speeds, catchy melodies and thoughtful, socially minded lyrics dealing with (among other things) man’s self-destructive tendencies and our daily serving of fear via the press, there isn’t much to complain about on Good. The brightest moments come when the instrumental tone becomes more serious and pressing on songs like “Nova Speaks” with its slower, more hardcore second half; the slightly unhinged “Lost And Found;” “White Noise;” and the enchanting “The Final Chapter,” which features a spoken-word intro warning of “the beast man” (i.e., us) in a theatrical Isaac-from-Children-Of-The-Corn-esque manner. A sophomoric description, perhaps-the song, however, is anything but. (MAD AT THE WORLD) Janelle Jones