Burn That Shit
12/11/08, 09:33 PM
Arsel Arcaya - 2008 EP
Record Label: None
Release Date: May 19, 2008
Chicago is a large city located in Illinois that is home to many different sounds and stylings as far as music is concerned. With big names from Rise Against to Smashing Pumpkins, the modern rock scene in Chicago is clearly thriving, and being that Arsel Arcaya are from Illinois, they obviously must live up to the musical pedestal coming from the city. In my opinion, they are succeeding.
Arsel Arcaya's 2008 EP took me by surprise. In a scene full of metalcore Jesus-praising bro's, and power-pop boy bands wielding guitars, this band definitely stands out.
As soon as the first track, "Apollo, The Ferret," kicks off, it's obvious Arsel Arcaya is cooking something decent, as it is a very solid opening track, with guitars sounding like sirens, powerful drums and a slick bass line. Although the mixing does seem to be very vocally-focused, that is not a problem here. The vocals are actually one of the main highlights of this band, with vocalist, Keaton doing a fantastic job of showing off his range without straining at all. Although he does tend to do the nasally "scenester" yelp at times, this can be overlooked.
The lyrics aren't half bad either, and almost have a political vibe to them: "We had cause for alarm, flashing and screaming sirens made their mark / Twisting through the streets they leave a trail of fear / The blank lit faces of the crowd watched as we carried him out / Did they lay him to sleep?" Obviously, they're no Bob Dylan, but compared to their peers this is a very nice and welcomed change of pace.
The second track, "Circadian Rhythms," shows off the bands effect's list. I'm not going to run around claiming that they're gods because they can use a delay/reverb pedal, but they do make a solid effort on adding some variation into their music. Also, I am typically very hateful of the vocoder, but this track just does it for me. An acoustic guitar is also thrown into the mix on this track, adding a little bit of variety.
The last three tracks end up being solid as well: "Eu Thanatos" shows off some more technical guitar work, and "Neo, The Lyre" captivates you with its sense of urgency.
Overall, this EP is thoroughly refreshing. Some contemporary scene trends were indeed met, however enough were avoided that it was worth the listen and many listens to come. The production, while seeming a tad bit overproduced at times, is fairly reliable and helps rather than hinders their ability. The EP is influenced by Circa Survive and The Receiving End of Sirens, but I have faith that these boys will come into their own sound when they do indeed release a full-length in the near future.
The Receiving End of Sirens; Thursday; Circa Survive.
myspace.com/arselarcaya (http://www.myspace.com/arselarcaya)
Record Label: None
Release Date: May 19, 2008
Chicago is a large city located in Illinois that is home to many different sounds and stylings as far as music is concerned. With big names from Rise Against to Smashing Pumpkins, the modern rock scene in Chicago is clearly thriving, and being that Arsel Arcaya are from Illinois, they obviously must live up to the musical pedestal coming from the city. In my opinion, they are succeeding.
Arsel Arcaya's 2008 EP took me by surprise. In a scene full of metalcore Jesus-praising bro's, and power-pop boy bands wielding guitars, this band definitely stands out.
As soon as the first track, "Apollo, The Ferret," kicks off, it's obvious Arsel Arcaya is cooking something decent, as it is a very solid opening track, with guitars sounding like sirens, powerful drums and a slick bass line. Although the mixing does seem to be very vocally-focused, that is not a problem here. The vocals are actually one of the main highlights of this band, with vocalist, Keaton doing a fantastic job of showing off his range without straining at all. Although he does tend to do the nasally "scenester" yelp at times, this can be overlooked.
The lyrics aren't half bad either, and almost have a political vibe to them: "We had cause for alarm, flashing and screaming sirens made their mark / Twisting through the streets they leave a trail of fear / The blank lit faces of the crowd watched as we carried him out / Did they lay him to sleep?" Obviously, they're no Bob Dylan, but compared to their peers this is a very nice and welcomed change of pace.
The second track, "Circadian Rhythms," shows off the bands effect's list. I'm not going to run around claiming that they're gods because they can use a delay/reverb pedal, but they do make a solid effort on adding some variation into their music. Also, I am typically very hateful of the vocoder, but this track just does it for me. An acoustic guitar is also thrown into the mix on this track, adding a little bit of variety.
The last three tracks end up being solid as well: "Eu Thanatos" shows off some more technical guitar work, and "Neo, The Lyre" captivates you with its sense of urgency.
Overall, this EP is thoroughly refreshing. Some contemporary scene trends were indeed met, however enough were avoided that it was worth the listen and many listens to come. The production, while seeming a tad bit overproduced at times, is fairly reliable and helps rather than hinders their ability. The EP is influenced by Circa Survive and The Receiving End of Sirens, but I have faith that these boys will come into their own sound when they do indeed release a full-length in the near future.
The Receiving End of Sirens; Thursday; Circa Survive.
myspace.com/arselarcaya (http://www.myspace.com/arselarcaya)