"To Whom It May Concern" review by Les Reynolds

One of America's best-kept secrets is lurking in the shadows of the Seattle-area music scene, quietly making a noise of its own as a rock band with a heart.

Lore and Mark Arrington have never released any music to the general public until now. This is their first and their latest set of songs, a five-song EP entitled "To Whom It May Concern," should bring smiles to their current fans and bring the artists new admirers.

This husband and wife team, led by Lore with some incredible vocals, lyrics and melodies and Mark as a rock-solid drummer musical writer and arranger, co-produced by both. They are joined by electric guitarist's Doug Roberts playing on songs 1, 2 and 4, brother Jay Roberts plays solo on song 5, Max Keene plays on songs 1 and 3. Mark's brother Tracy Arrington plays bass on song 4. They show on this release that they are capable of teamwork, and creating some amazing tunes. Some of these songs are hard as steel, but always underneath is a conscience. At times, the sound is almost industrially harsh, but there is also a softer side as well to these songs. Topics generally cover the hurting side of relationships and one tune treads upon the controversial waters of social and political outrage. While these may not be in the order they appear on the EP, here is a breakdown of how each tune is treated and how it sounds.

Bookending this review with the two best songs, let's start with "Don't You Know," which, arguably, could be predicted as one of this band's most requested songs in the future, with an envelope-pushing prophecy of radio play, as well. This melodic tune is anchored by a perfectly-timed rhythm section and vocals to die for (including excellent overdubbing and "echo"). The electric guitar sounds good particularly on the repeat chorus; and in a somewhat uncharacteristic move, there's a well-placed, sweet-sounding swooping electric slide guitar inserted in there as well. Moving onward. The strength of "Badass" (a perfect title for a hard rock tune, ya think?) is the funky guitar intro and, a bit later, an amazingly cool transition from "Do you know/how it feels/to be me?" to the very next line. This is executed almost flawlessly. It pulls out of that immediately. Even better is what they call a "counterline" within the chorus: "Do you know/how it feels/to be me?" (counterline) "no oh no oh hard life don't get me down…" which carries on (with different words) for four lines. Basically, Lore is singing one line while her beautifully strong voice is overdubbed pretty much simultaneously with the second (or counter) line. Around the two minute mark, the guitar begins a series of short, squealing, intermittent solos and accompanying riffs. This is a really cool rock tune.

"Liar" moves Arrington into a different space, ideologically and, to some degree, even sonically. More than any other tune of the five, it speaks best from and to the EP's title due to its strong message. This song is ugly--but almost certainly done this way on purpose. It's loud, harsh, urgent and somewhat angry--not mean-spirited, but there is plenty of social outrage to go around. Lore and the band does a good job keeping it together. It begins "All the questions/All the fear. All the games you played for years/are now true. You turned away/You run away. The trust you killed…," allowing the listener to think this is another relationship-gone-bad song, until the next phrase, which goes "the blood you spilled…" Aha, something bigger, perhaps? Definitely, and where it's most revealing is in the part of the song that will have you hitting the "pete & repeat" button over and over again: "I care about my country. I know I always have. Katrina, Iraq and the surplus we once had. You've squandered and you broke our laws and torn this world in two…but once a liar/always a liar is something I despise…" The lines within this frame are hissed in an angry, loudly whispered rant, spit out with controlled venom. It's almost sexy in its darkness. You can almost see Lore prowling a darkened stage, teeth clenched, eyes intense and focused, delivering the message. Over all of this is Doug Roberts' searing guitar, teetering on the edge of overplaying, slipping just over the line a time or two but always bringing it back.

"What Do You Want From Me Now" actually is one about a relationship gone sour and selfish. The staccato and slightly off-center cadence in the beginning pushes the anger outward from the words so the listener not only "gets" it but feels it as well. Lore's voice is not only strong, but tough as nails, and appropriately so. Mark's soft, yet rapid-fire drumming early on, and Doug Roberts' and Max Keene’s electric guitar playing a smooth foundation for the bridge are the instrumental highlights. While the lyrics carry the hurt and anger ("Don't think/that I don't feel/the lies/that/you've been saying/behind me…"), the tune gradually turns into one of affirmation and strength: "Now I'm/gonna put my past to rest/and/put myself to the test…My life/is mine/I'll move ahead/and you won't see me…" Finally, as the saying goes, saving the best for last, is "When Will You Learn," which can be summed up in one word: WOW! But, you don't get off quite that easy, guys. This tune is almost too pretty for the intense emotion and hurt it intends to convey. A breaking heart is simply gut-wrenching and anything but beautiful. However, even with that, this song seems destined to move far beyond its beginnings. In fact, let's even say that radio needs this song. Just about everything about it is perfect. The instrumental introduction arrangement is clever and interesting. Mark's drum loop editing and bass playing draws the listener into it, subtly at first, then, before you know it, hooked! Lore's vocals are sensual and powerful. At one point, she drops really low and touches what sounds like the absolute bottom of her range. It's effort, but she still makes it work, and throughout, her voice remains crystal clear and beautiful. Perhaps one tiny thing could have made the emotional transfer from singer to listener more fully and totally, and that would have been a loudly whispered (instead of sung in full voice) "Can you feel me?" at the end of verse two. That being said, however, it's hard to improve on something this good, from beginning to the easy,melodic fade-out at the end.

So--what's left to say? Very little, if anything. To take one of the song titles "What Do You Want From Me Now," and take a tiny bit of liberty with it, an appropriate answer would be "Bravo! Encore!”