The Arrivals

They might be from the windy confines of Chicago, but with Volatile Molotov, the group of buoyant miscreants known as the Arrivals are clearly inspired by all things British. That is to say, the unifying thread running throughout the album's 13 tracks is a type of Billy Bragg-meets-Futureheads new wave synthesis. In that way, these songs couple the former's penchant for storytelling, slightly off-tune vocal delivery and overtly socio-political slant with the latter's innate sense of dynamic, passionate, emotive choruses that even Robert Smith would have to admit are beyond his spectrum. To wit, while Volatile Molotov is far from the most explosive album of the past decade, it's not without its share of anthemic chant-alongs, creative vitality and emotionally provocative arrangements.