Get It Now
We last heard from TV Smith back in 2006 with the ‘Misinformation Overload’ album, which got pretty good press from most quarters. ‘In The Arms of My Enemy’ is the follow up from the former Adverts front man and broadly speaking follows on from ‘Misinformation Overload’ with a collection of folk based songs delivered with attitude and real grit.
Opening track ‘Get it Now’ takes a few listens to warm to being distinctly lightweight and verging on country. ‘See Through’ keeps the steady pace but adds a bit of growl and it’s already clear that TV Smith still has plenty to say with some intelligent and politically charged lyrics. Although the production and Smith’s voice maintain a consistent feel to the album there’s real variety in the songs, ‘Together Alone’ sounds like early Dire Straits, whilst ‘I Wish I Could See Clearly’ is more akin to a Bryan Adams ballad. If you come looking for punk fuelled angst then you’re going to be disappointed, this is a much more mellow and reflective album than ‘Misinformation Overload’ but there’s still plenty to like here.
There is the odd more upbeat tune like ‘Weak Glue’ that breaks things up nicely but the pace never really gets beyond a canter. The more you play it the more this album is less about the music and more about the lyrics and Smith’s delivery; you could almost listen to it without any instrumental backing at all and it would still have a certain captivating feel about it. Title track ‘In the Arms of My Enemy’ evokes visions of Woody Guthrie with an eerie harmonica over the top before it picks up into a shuffling beat and moves off into probably the most impressive and engaging instrumental break on the whole album.
Not all of the tracks hit the spot, ‘Open Up Your Heart’ is rather forgettable and obvious but thankfully there are tracks like ‘Clone Town’ on hand to bring things back on track. The album closes with ‘My Trojan Horse’ (aside from the 50 second hidden track!) and although it keeps a reserved tempo it has that rare knack of making you visualise the lyrics and succeeds in making you want to hit the replay button. Fair play to TV Smith, never one to rest easy with a winning formula he’s come up with a different sounding record that takes a while to get into but pays dividends if you can make the effort.