★★★★
To say that the music of Arca is hard to define would be a gross understatement.
His compositions and collaborations with artists like Björk have exposed an artist of true originality and boundary-pushing ambition. Now arriving at his third album (self-titled for more poignant reasons than lack of imagination), Arca continues to explore the possibilities of electronic music with a deep concentration on the self.
Despite their inability (or desire) to be pigeonholed, the songs here possess a certain warmth that makes them surprisingly accessible. I admit my own apprehension going into this record, but ultimately could not ignore the sheer amount of personality that has made it. Every song is huge, pulsing and pulverising, with little regard for convention, creating a dystopic soundscape of unhinged future noises and operatic vocal experiments.
‘Piel’ is the first track we hear to feature Arca’s own singing voice; a strikingly stark piece accompanied by little more than minor hums and buzzes. ‘Urchin’ is a frightening, all-out attack on the senses. And as if we needed further evidence of Arca’s sordid approach to music, he gives us the song ‘Whip’ – one minute and 20 seconds of, well, whipping.
In his own words, “You want gore? Here’s gore.” It’s a rewarding listen for adventurous ears. Too disquieting to be euphoric, too pleasurable to be disturbing.
Arca’s self-titled release is out now throughXL/Remote Control.
