Because the nature of the album is so different from his previous work it is not quite fair to make simple comparisons to it. But while this album is different it also has a lot of things in common with Arthur Adam’s previous work. The songwriting is still key. It’s the basis on which the music is built. Sometimes you stumble upon band-versions of singer/songwriter, and in many aspects, Arthur Adam fits that bill.
Take a song like Dividing A Spider, which, in its melodic songwriting very much has a singer/songwriter basis, but because of the cohesive and convincing performance of the song it gets a much richer and fuller sound that makes the song not only exciting but also adds to the potential of the song. The pointy and catchy She’s A Mystery is a pure powerpop song that just makes you want to move along. And then on a song like We Feel Sad, there are traces of the moody singer/songwriter again and then as it builds up more and more intensity is added to the song and it becomes almost anthemic. For me it would have been the ideal closer, even though the 60s-esque First Impressions is an excellent song.
There is such a wide variety of qualitatively strong songs on this album that this album is bound to get a lot of positive feedback. It also has a more approachable and accessible sound than you would expect if you know Arthur Adam’s previous work. It’s a good mix between a more mainstream sound and a more indie sound. Built on excellent songwriting, “Awake” is an album that convinces from the first note to the last and is going to draw in fans and music critics alike.