Welcome Back Dear Children

by William RuhlmannArizona, the Brooklyn-based trio of Benjamin Morris Wigler, Nick Campbell, and Alex Hornbake, is capable of rocking out, as it demonstrates on such tracks as "Somersby" and "Splintering" on its full-length debut album. But the musicians are more comfortable creating more light-hearted pop fare, crafting melodic, inventive arrangements of guitar, bass, drums, piano, and cello with shifting tempos and modulations, all to accompany the fey, high-pitched vocals singing contemplative lyrics. In the crowded field of indie rock, Arizona is unusual in its ability to carve out an identifiable sound (one noticeably influenced by Ray Davies and the Kinks) that draws not only on rock, folk, and pop, but also on classical elements, a sound of considerable charm. As with the psychedelic pop/rock of the Sgt. Pepper era that this music references specifically, there is a childlike appeal and a delicacy of feel. This sort of thing easily can become too precious, but the musicians of Arizona know when to add some rock grit to keep their musical soufflé from collapsing in on itself.