Joan of Arc

Editor's Review:

Since their inception in 1996, Joan of Arc have been through a myriad of lineup changes revolving around guitarist / vocalist Tim Kinsella. Likewise, the band’s sound has changed, often greatly, with each album it has released. So, stylistically, where is this band who seem to be in a constant state of flux now? In a damn fine place.
Lyrically, it is a place where people struggle to define themselves against both those who came before them and the conspiratorial power behind the powers that be. Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain... is populated with instruments that, in addition to the standard rock implements, include cello, vibes, spoons, dictaphone, e-bow guitar, flute and a drill. This multitude of instruments, coupled with the nine band members playing them, results in quite a multidimensional album. The piano-based “Questioning Benjamin Franklin’s Ghost” starts it all off. “Apocalypse Politics” comes next with only its layered acoustic guitars accompanying Kinsella’s singing. Neither of these songs prepares the listener for the noise fest that follows. With the only instruments being drill, time and string swell, “The Title Track of This Album” does a wonderful thing. It completely disarms the listener and erases any expectations that may have been built by the first two tunes. The remainder of this album takes elements from these first three tracks and proceeds to mix and match them into an inspiringly unique album filled with songs that push and sometimes break the bourgeois ideals of rock.
– Connell Burton McDaniel

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Record Label Polyvinyl Record Co. Released August 2004

Tracks Questioning Benjamin Franklin's Ghost Apocalypse Politics The Title Track of This Album Queasy Lynn White and Wrong Onomatopoepic Animal Faces A Half-Deaf Girl Named Echo 80’s Dance Parties Most of All Deep Rush Gripped By the Lips Fleshy Jeffrey Abigail, Cops and Animals “Still” From Miss Kate’s Texture Dictionary The Details of the Bomb I Trust a Litter of Kittens Still Keeps the Colosseum The Telephones Have Begun Making Calls The Cash In and Price

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