Arca (album)

Arca
Studio album by Arca
Released 7 April 2017
Genre
Length 43:17
Label XL
Producer Arca
Arca chronology
Entrañas
(2016)Entrañas2016		 Arca
(2017)
Singles from Arca
  1. "Piel"
    Released: 22 February 2017 (2017-02-22)
  2. "Anoche"
    Released: 24 February 2017 (2017-02-24)
  3. "Reverie"
    Released: 16 March 2017 (2017-03-16)
  4. "Saunter"
    Released: 24 March 2017 (2017-03-24)

Arca is the self-titled third studio album by Venezuelan electronic record producer Arca, released on 7 April 2017 through XL Recordings.[3][4] It is the first studio album to feature lead vocals by Arca himself, sung in his native Spanish.[5] It was released to universal acclaim from critics.[6]

Background

On 28 February 2016, Ghersi announced via Instagram that his new album would be titled Reverie and was almost finished.[7] Though on 22 February 2017, he announced that the album would actually be titled Arca.[8] He explained in an interview for i-D magazine that he didn't want the album to be eponymous, it's more that every other name felt wrong. "I went through a whole year of trying different names, they all felt foreign. But because I use my singing voice in a way that I've never done before, it didn't feel unnatural to call it Arca.[5]

He also revealed that his voice would be on the new album, inspired by collaborator and friend, Björk.[9] "I don’t know if I would’ve ever sung on this record if it weren’t for Björk. We were in the car together and I had been singing for fun and she turned to me very casually and asked me if I’d ever considered singing on my music. I just dismissed it. But then I took her very seriously because I respect her so profoundly as a vocalist. She gave me so much guidance, so I really want to celebrate that when I talk about the record. It was a big deal. She was so nurturing throughout the whole process and I don't know if I would've been so brave to do this without her as a friend."[10] Ghersi explained his reasoning for singing in Spanish as it was the language he learned to process emotion with, the language of his upbringing that his parents "fought and divorced in". He said it became much more natural for him to manifest certain things that were very private and very intimate in Spanish.[11]

Ghersi said the lyrics on the album are "all recent and all – except for one song – improvised", further stating that he "never sat down and wrote a word and then changed it to a better word. I recorded lots and lots of melodies and lyrics, if they were pure enough I left them like that. I didn't let my critical mind interrupt the outpouring."[5] Many songs include references to his influences, such as the lyrics of "Anoche", which reference Björk's 1995 song "I Miss You"[12] and some of the lyrics of "Reverie" which are taken directly from the Venezuelan folk classic "Caballo Viejo", composed by Simón Díaz.[13]

Release and promotion

Ghersi announced the album's title and release date via Twitter along with the opening track off the album, "Piel" on 22 February 2017.[14] The track listing includes the previously shared "Sin Rumbo", which appeared on his previous release, Entrañas and "Urchin", which was released on 29 December 2015.[4][15] On 24 February, he released the second track, "Anoche" along with a music video directed by longtime collaborator Jesse Kanda, who also designed the cover art of the album.[16] On March 16, he released another video directed by Kanda for "Reverie".[17] On March 24, "Saunter" was released. In addition, "Saunter" and "Reverie" were released on a limited run of 12-inch singles along with the album's release.[18][19] On April 10, he released a music video for the tenth track, "Desafío".[20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[21]
Metacritic87/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[22]
The A.V. ClubA-[23]
Clash8/10[1]
Consequence of SoundB+[24]
Exclaim!8/10[25]
The Guardian[26]
Pitchfork8.5/10[27]
PopMatters[28]
Resident Advisor4.3/5[29]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 87, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[6] AllMusic's Heather Phares praised Ghersi for pushing his boundaries on Arca, further stating that "the vulnerability he displays makes it some of his most exciting and moving music yet."[22] Nina Corcoran of The A.V. Club praised the album, stating: "If the skittering fluctuation of Ghersi’s past releases gained him a cult following, then the open-hearted ballads sprinkled throughout Arca should earn him his well-deserved breakthrough."[23] Clash magazine critic Shahzaib Hussain thought that Arca "rides a steady stream of minimalist melancholia, juxtaposed against Ghersi’s intense, operatic vocals – the effect is one of ceremonial transcendence."[1] Consequence of Sound's David Sackllah described the album as Arca's "most daring and enthralling record yet," adding that "By peeling back the layers of his persona, Ghersi breaks himself down in an attempt to find rebirth, trying to reconcile with his past and present."[24] Bryon Hayes of Exclaim! said, "This back-and-forth is carried along throughout Arca, demonstrating that Ghersi hasn't lost his fondness for tempered electronic cacophony, but has expanded his palette, to mind-bendingly gorgeous results."[25]

Fact magazine critic Miles Bowe praised the album's composition, claiming it's Ghersi's "most focused on his career" while noting that the vocals display his forward evolution.[30] Rating the album with a perfect score, The Guardian's Rachel Aroesti commented: "Exquisite opener Piel captures the interplay between poise and prostration that has made Catholic ritual such a rich artistic seam, while arch humour is provided by Whip – hyper-real lashing accompanied by the sound of a powering-down robot – and Desafío, which takes disposable Eurotrash pop and makes it worthy of pious contemplation."[26] Pitchfork critic Kevin Lozano labeled the record with the tag "Best New Music", mentioning that Ghersi's work is "still mysterious, but not as opaque—it doesn’t keep you at an arm’s length, instead he offers up his pleasures more readily."[27] Resident Advisor's Ryan Keeling described the record as "Arca's most accomplished work to date."[29] PopMatters' Andrew Paschal thought that the record "refuses to ossify into a legible and easily recognizable shape, defying our expectations of the artist’s output while remaining untethered even to a clearly delineated internal logic," describing the result as "both emotionally enrapturing and conceptually thrilling."[28] Andy Beta of Spin praised Arca for being Ghersi's "most engaging, emotionally draining and confrontational album to date."[31]

Track listing

All tracks written by Arca.

No.TitleEnglish translationLength
1."Piel""Skin"4:07
2."Anoche""Last Night"3:36
3."Saunter" 2:09
4."Urchin" 4:00
5."Reverie" 3:12
6."Castration" 3:21
7."Sin Rumbo""Aimlessly"3:35
8."Coraje""Courage"4:31
9."Whip" 1:20
10."Desafío""Challenge"3:53
11."Fugaces""Fleeting"3:07
12."Miel""Honey"2:56
13."Child" 3:23
Total length:43:17

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[33]

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[34] 46
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[35] 87
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[36] 18

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hussain, Shahzaib (6 April 2017). "Arca – Arca". Clash. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Roome, Joni (3 April 2017). "Album Review: Arca's self-titled album is the first to largely incorporate his brooding vocals, evoking a religious atmosphere". The 405. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Arca on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Arca by Arca on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Tillmans, Wolfgang (23 February 2017). "Dance to Your Own Rhythm: Arca Is Shot and Interviewed by Wolfgang Tillmans". i-D magazine. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 "Arca by Arca". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "Arca Announces New Album Reverie | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  8. ↑ "Arca announces self-titled album". Crack Magazine. 2017-02-22. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  9. ↑ "Arca reveals that Bjork helped him find his voice". Crack Magazine. 2017-02-23. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  10. ↑ "dance to your own rhythm: arca is shot and interviewed by wolfgang tillmans | read | i-D". i-D. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "Album Review: Arca – Arca". Consequence of Sound. 2017-04-05. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  12. ↑ ""Anoche" by Arca Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  13. ↑ ""Reverie" by Arca Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  14. ↑ "Arca Announces New Album, Shares New Song "Piel": Listen | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  15. ↑ ""Urchin" by Arca Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  16. ↑ "Arca Shares New Video for New Song "Anoche": Watch | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  17. ↑ "Watch Arca's Bloody Video For New Song "Reverie" | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  18. ↑ "Arca 'Saunter'". Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  19. ↑ "XL Recordings". xlrecordings.com. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  20. ↑ Arca 1000000 (2017-04-10), Arca – Desafío, retrieved 10 April 2017
  21. ↑ "Arca by Arca reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  22. 1 2 Phares, Heather (7 April 2017). "Arca – Arca : Songs, Reviews, Credits". All Media Network. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  23. 1 2 Corcoran, Nina (7 April 2017). "The New Pornographers, Arca, Joey Badass, and more in this week’s music reviews". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  24. 1 2 Sackllah, David (5 April 2017). "Arca – Arca". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  25. 1 2 Hayes, Bryon (5 April 2017). "Arca – Arca". Exclaim!. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  26. 1 2 Aroesti, Rachel (6 April 2017). "Arca: Arca review – ecclesiastical grandeur meets bleeding-edge dissonance". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  27. 1 2 Lozano, Kevin (5 April 2017). "Arca: Arca". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  28. 1 2 Paschal, Andrew (10 April 2017). "Arca: Arca". PopMatters.
  29. 1 2 Keeling, Ryan (7 April 2017). "Arca – Arca". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  30. ↑ Bowe, Miles (7 April 2017). "Arca review: Björk’s electronic architect finds his voice with an immaculate collection of grisly love songs". Fact. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  31. ↑ Beta, Andy (6 April 2017). "Review: Arca’s Self-Titled Album Is His Most Engaging, Emotionally Draining, and Confrontational Record Yet". Spin. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  32. ↑ "Arca by Arca on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  33. ↑ "Arca – Arca | Credits". AllMusic.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Arca – Arca" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  35. ↑ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 15: del 07.04.2017 al 13.04.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  36. ↑ "Arca – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Arca. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
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