Joan Of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain:Joan Of Arc

Title: “Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain…”

Label: Polyvinyl

Genre: experimental indie

Rating: 7 of 7

What can I really say about Joan of Arc that has not already been said? The Chicago collective that makes up Joan of Arc (9 artists on this album including frontman mainstay Tim Kinsella and members of Town and Country, Love is Everything, Make Believe, Pit er Pat, Aloha and Owen) has been around for more than 8 years under numerous monikers including Cap’n’Jazz, Owls, and Friend/Enemy. This record, the first on Polyvinyl, is the experimental indie rock that you have come to love from this forward-thinking band, but much more song oriented than recently. Every track has been written, torn apart, reconstructed with even more sounds and then reevaluated for further progression. The end result is an album with unprecedented depth during every second of play. The lyrics match the music in intellect and creativity, and Kinsella’s vocals are more dynamic than ever as his vocal pitch and presentation change with every song. There is not one boring moment on this album and with each listen you pick up another 30 sounds that you missed before. To make a cliché analogy, Joan of Arc is the Radiohead of the indie world, and anyone who wants to make music in the future should pay attention to this band and the ability to use the studio as an instrument.

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