Album Review

Everything Everything – Arc

• 18th Jan 2013

Arc is the difficult second album from critics favorite Everything Everything. The Manchester based band hit huge acclaim in 2010 when they were listed on the BBC’s sound of 2010 list and later shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Music Prize for their first album, ‘Man Alive’. With the great success of the first single from the record ‘Cough Cough’ already in the bag, high hopes surround Arc.

Opening with catchy rhythmic masterpiece ‘Cough Cough’, Everything Everything showcase the speed of light lyrical ability of singer Jonathan Higgs, depth of layer’s within the band’s sound and almost surrealist approach to putting together sound effects, harmonies, lyrics and rhythm. The track then leads into ‘Kemosabe’, a slower tempo track with just as much punchy rhythm and uncanny harmonies. Alternating between busy electronic moments and focused melodic parts, the track leaves us feeling somewhat exhausted, in the same way a strobe light show assaults the eyes. ‘Torso Of The Week’ eases us back into Everything Everything’s complicated sound. A curious track which could be imagined as a song of seduction and self esteem set at the gym, ‘Torso Of The Week’ is dark, witty and dumbfounding.

‘Duet’ introduces an uplifting, building layer of strings, which give an emotional feel alongside lyrics bouncing around melancholy, frustrating and love. Keeping the rhythmic motif of the rest of the record the track seems to have a strong pop sensibility. This pop sound is echoed in later tracks like Armourland and Radiant, in which bubbly electronic note gives an 80’s feel. The band’s ‘indie’ label is confirmed with a clattering of guitars throughput the record, used to great effect rhythmically in tracks like ‘Feet For Hands’, ‘Radiant’ and ‘Don’t Try’.

What stands out about this record the juxtaposition of dynamic rhythmic devices, strange sound effects and layers with a delicate and effecting vocal. While there is a definite groove to much of this record, Everything Everything open up a more vulnerable, emotional feel in songs like ‘Choice Mountian’, ‘The Peaks’ and particularly ‘This House Is Dust’. Using layers of drone to create eerie minor elements, the band create a huge sound you can feel in your gut, with Higgs’ unusual falsetto drawing the listener into the message of the songs with a dreamlike and phantasmagorical melancholy. Particularly impressive is the almost industrial rhythm and drone which underlay ‘This House Is Dust’, countered with the delicate vocals and shoe-gazey guitar. Everything Everything won’t please everyone with this record after the huge success of their first, but manage to maintain their individual, kaleidoscopic sound amongst smatterings of indie pop and eerie lament and a strong song based backbone.

Venue: Arc
Support Band: RCA UK