STAB THE UNSTOPPABLE HERO

Miami New Times Stab review (6.13.2002)
By Sean Bean
Arlo is a band of the kind of back-porch rockers that speed through a 30-minute set on One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer night at your local club, so it makes sense that the group is named for its Tuesday-night soundman back in L.A. Arlo's second LP, Stab the Unstoppable Hero, whittles Weezer pop out of playful three-part harmonies, SoCal psychedelia, and a twang that successfully confirms the Texas roots of vocalists/guitarists Sean Spillane and Nate Greely. Likely to deconstruct the significance of blowing out a flip-flop, having, let's say, stepped on a pop-top, the pair record life with whimsy: The acidhead ooh-wop of "Silkworm" balances nicely against the Kinks backbeat gutcheck of "Little American" ("Are you made of salt or are you sour?/Do you fall apart in the shower?"). All your favorite nods are here: "Runaround" is early Beatles at 90 beats per minute; "Culture" is like Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis dropping by Wilco's Being There sessions. Yet Arlo's tunesmiths have a decidedly upbeat bent all their own. Stab should carve the final letters on the label Sub Pop's grunge epitaph.

All Music Stab review (6.2002)
Combining the aesthetics of power pop, grunge, and hard rock, Los Angeles' Arlo has spawned a big album with big hooks, big harmonies, and an even bigger guitar attack that should endear them to the vast American teenage wasteland. Classic rock influences abound, especially when the band barley stops short of cobbling the all-too-familiar octave riff of the Knack's seminal new wave anthem "My Sharona" in "Runaround." Cuts such as "Culture," "Little American," and "Working Title" all explode with the most unflappable characteristics of modern rock radio currency, namely adolescent angst meshed with raging hormones and wandering spirits. The odd time signature in title track underpins a tale of despair that belies the infectious singalong chorus. Stab the Unstoppable Hero is an enjoyable and youthful romp that proves the kids are all right after all.
— Tom Semioli

CMJ Stab review (6.10.2002)
ARLO: Stab the Unstoppable Hero
Arlo's Stab The Unstoppable Hero reeks of all the things that make a record great - if the year was 1993. Not that there's anything wrong with that; as a result of its nostalgic leanings, the Los Angeles-based quartet is perfectly content to make good, old-fashioned indie rock. Reminiscent of Chapel Hill pop-punk with a tiny dose of Cheap Trick, the album gallops along with upbeat, spunky tunes, decked out with plenty of crashing cymbals, woo-woo harmonies and an exuberant rhythm section. The band's enthusiasm pours itself into every song, whether it's sunny pop ("Silkworm," "Runaround") or slightly more rockin' ("Stoned," "Temperature"). With references to Sleestacks and Slurpees, the lyrics prove how the boys in Arlo have expertly mined the fields of pop culture for inspiration - you can imagine that they once spent a lot of time in their basements reading comic books and playing video games. But it's this earnest geekiness that provides the sensitive underbelly and depth to Arlo's catchy pop and makes the retro sounds of Stab The Unstoppable Hero a welcome return.
- Amy Wan: CMJ New Music Report Issue: 766 - Jun 10, 2002

UC Santa Barbara Daily Nexus Stab review (5.30.2002)
Arlo's second release blows out the garage doors with unbelievable force and drips with harmonies and powerpop riffs that seem to be created from some sort of divine intervention.

Stab the Unstoppable Hero is loud, yet remarkably clear and concise, blatantly baring its '60s and recent pop roots, but achieving that infectious sound better than anyone else. In some senses the songs are tried and true, just refined versions of its witty contemporaries, but a greater dynamic exists, setting this album apart from the vast indie pack. Imagine a hot, boring suburban summer, and the band down the street just got really good.

Arlo is not simply content with creating a great song - and pumping out another piece of hooks and melodies - they pace, ebb and make the listener hold out for the meat of the matter. The songs aren't blatant pop offerings, they demand to be dissected and dealt with, never allowing for casual listening. The tracks fluctuate from calm, chugging, story-like orchestrations, to blaring, intensely concentrated punk anthems that inadvertently seep with Arlo's sappy aesthetic, and overly aware sense of structure and intricate rhythm. The drums explode with a delightful intensity, always acknowledging its guitar lead, and articulating the subtle nuances that they cleverly set forth.

Stab the Unstoppable Hero is relentless. It just doesn't stop with the typical indie serenades, but puts effort into the less obvious, subtler tracks. It is easy to skip tracks, show off the foundations of this particular record, but what one must do, as Arlo has, is to acknowledge the simpler, the less evident, and take a listen all the way through. This album carefully balances its own creations and its predecessors, producing a very good, well thought out piece of nostalgia.
by Collin Mitchell

FHM US Stab review (5.2002)
Stab the Unstoppable Hero
Bands like Arlo always sound better live. It’s just a rule that power-pop guitar bands sound better after a few beers in a dark club. But Stab the Unstoppable Hero has some fun moments in a Cheap Trick kind of way. The L.A foursome is certainly musically accomplished, as tracks like the shuffling "Bus Stop," prove. If you like Urge Overkill, the New Pornographers, Queens of the Stone Age or the Who, you will cherish Arlo. Their second full-length effort for Sub-Pop, produced by Ben Vaughn (the guy who writes music for "That 70’s Show") DOES sound a bit like the theme song from the cult hit. If you have been living in Turkey for the last few years and never heard the aforementioned theme song, imagine a lot of huge sounding guitars, rocking rhythm sections and smooth vocal harmonies. Nate Greely and Sean Spillane share lead vocals and guitar throught the record, and the dynamics between the two of them are often nothing short of masterful. But if you need only one reason to check out Stab the Unstoppable Hero, look no further than the fact that Arlo’s drummer is named "Soup."
(Charlie Amter)

Billboard Stab Review (5.28.2002)
Album Title: Stab the Unstoppable Hero
Producer(s): Ben Vaughn, Arlo
Genre: ROCK
Label/Catalog Number: Sub Pop 584
Source: Online
Originally Reviewed: May 28, 2002

Hot summer days conjure up pounding sunshine, joyous sprinkler skipping, melted ice cream, and scintillating harmonic pop in the vein of the Beach Boys mixed with big, memorable hooks suitable for sing-a-longs. Such an intersection is where the Los Angeles quartet Arlo slips in with "Stab the Unstoppable Hero," the group's second album of enthusiastic, melodic rock.
Combining heady, grungy riffs and effervescent harmonies, "Hero" has the feeling of power-pop classics dirtied by a gritty agenda. "Working Title" churns with dense, crunchy guitar noodling, "Temperature" emerges as a Replacements-like rocker, and "Stoned" boogies with a bluesy bassline. Standout "Runaround" is a three-minute pastiche of frantic, careening riffs greasy from the garage and colliding with head-spinning chorus harmonies.
Thanks mainly to such decadent melodiousness, the band finds kindred spirits in everyone from Teenage Fanclub to the Pixies and the Smithereens. But other aspects of "Hero" point to antecedents from the carefree side of the 1960s. The aforementioned "Runaround," with a recurring chorus of "runaround Macy, runaround" is reminiscent of classic odes to heartbreaking women. "Bus Stop" -- not the Hollies tune of the same name -- motors along with rolling riffs reminiscent of Chad & Jeremy's summer-nostalgia trip "Autumn Leaves." And leadoff track "Little American" possesses Who-style punch packed into mod-rock's penchant for brevity.
Even songs that deviate from the formula, such as the Wilco-esque "Up," are tempered by lyrical fun. Lines like "all of the sisters from St. Mary's went down to the store to get Slurpees" and "the devil stayed home and watched Cheers" inject a lighthearted tone to the slow country licks. Indeed, Arlo has created the perfect soundtrack to summer fun, ideal for blasting in the car at full volume with the windows rolled down.

--Annie Zaleski