Search - Joan of Arc :: So Much Staying Alive & Lovelessness

They decided to try

Gren | New Orleans, LA United States | 02/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's about that time of the night. And to be honest with you, i'm not feeling let down with this joan of arc (ii) record. the absolute least that can be said about it is that it has 11 tracks AND 11 actual songs on it. The eerie thing is though: that's exactly what is unexpected of Joan of Arc... have they decided to try making music more accessible than an inside joke? it's a chilling day, has it already arrived?
maybe this change comes because tim is finally getting to that age where it's time to settle down. it's suggested with some of the lyrics. for instance, the song, "dead together" tim sings, "we'll be woven together in earthworms." how romantic. it's nice to see that he's really concerned about his future now, and finding the lovely lady willing to be buried in earthworms with him.
more importantly, as far as the other aspects of the cd... it's definitely a joan of arc record as far as atmosphere. but it sounds more like a more stripped down owls sound with the mood of need new body. that really doesn't make any sense... and neither do these songs. there are still awkward joan of arc dischordances... but with fewer dead spaces. it's like they have attention spans no shorter than comatose drone now too. the music's catchiness relies on patterns of dischordance where it fight itself... but suddenly in all of the weird awkwardness something catchy and unusually pretty pops out. mais, it works
there's quite an assortment of sounds on here. for instance, on the last song it sounds like he reverts to a cap'n jazz song towards the end reading out a prose-sounding dialogue. then, there are other times when the music sounds like the flaming lips were writing the score to willy wonka and the chocolate factory. there are some songs where need new body's influence is definitely heard, it sound can like a polish waltz of death from time to time. but they've made it work. none of it should... but it's oddly an interesting cd to listen to. it's a cd that keeps my intrigue... i've listened to it many times and liked it, but i still don't think i've even experienced half of the weird ambiguity that the cap'n jazz cd had. the music can be taken so many ways... and i can't easily hum a single one of these strangely enchanting melodies; but it will slowly work its way into my bloodstream and the sweet sweet veins within. i've just got that feeling.
also, the lyrics are good for the most part. in a very different way for dear kinsella.. he's digressed from his traditional style somewhat, so it's new, although some of his lines are questionable "Camus isn't your boyfriend." Which brings up the most important question ever to Tim: Who exactly are you dating?"

A different Joan of Arc

Peter Schranker | Silver Spring, MD | 11/10/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is Joan of Arc but so different from their other albums. I really enjoyed the first four albums especially the middle three as for this, this is very different. Tim is singing more in tune, he's creating melodies, his lyrics make more sense, the album is actually structures into songs. . .in otherwords, it's all wrong. If you never liked Joan of Arc to begin with you'll like this, if you've liked Joan of Arc a lot this'll be somewhat of a dissapointment, get In Rape Fantasy & Terror Sex We Trust instead."

Junkmedia Review- Pretentious or challenging? You decide

junkmedia | Los Angeles, CA | 02/19/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Calling Joan of Arc a "band" is something of a misnomer. They've always seemed like more of an art project than your standard rock group. Joan of Arc songs lurch in all different directions: some sound impossibly complex, others willfully tossed off. Tempos change frequently and without warning, guitars weave and wind around each other, and random noise seeps in through the cracks. Over it all, Kinsella moans, croons, and howls lyrics about linguistics, trash culture, and obscure French films. Is it any wonder he's half-jokingly said his band plays "music that no one likes"? But people do like Joan of Arc, and there are a lot of worthwhile, adventurous ideas happening all over Lovelessness. "The Infinite Blessed Yes" is a beautifully drifting tune that almost feels poppy despite its odd time signature and impenetrable lyrics. She said you can't be so quietly gay / Cuz I already am and no one will ever let you keep anything they know you have. And "Perfect Need and Perfect Completion" has an almost straightforward (although still a bit oblique) narrative, revealing a movement away from the too-smart-for-his-own-good approach that has plagued other Kinsella releases. Perhaps most interesting is "Mr. Participation Billy," in which the singer details random acts of violence over a jaunty piano melody. Never has anyone sung "he got his pelvis smashed with a baseball bat" so sweetly. Whether you find Kinsella's brand of experimental pop insufferably pretentious or delightfully challenging (I find it a bit of both), you have to give the man credit for his vision. Indie rockers are often content to run their sound into the ground, content to play things safe. But Joan of Arc seem to work without a net, allowing their impulses and instincts to guide them, no matter what the consequences. The ride may be a bumpy one, but that doesn't mean its not exhilarating. Tyler Wilcox
February 10, 2003
Junkmedia Review"