Search - Joan of Arse :: Distant Hearts, A Little Closer

Dublin's Joan of Arse recorded their new LP, Distant Hearts, A Little Closer, last spring on our shores oddly enough, with Chicago's very own Steve Albini. The gorgeous sounds are complemented wonderfully by the handiwork of Low's Zak Sally for the album's artwork as well. Distant Hearts... is a record that easily defies description, moving effortlessly from Crazy Horse-inspired, rock anthems to melancholic, folk-tinged ballads. The end result is a work of great depth and beauty that reveals something new with each listen. PLAY-BY-PLAY: Opening track THE SLAVES ARE IN THE GALLEYS, SHARPENING THEIR OARS delves into the rifftastic early QUEEN catalogue whilst providing us with some of the most acerbic lyrics since THE FATIMA MANSIONS. It's suitably followed by the early NEIL YOUNG singalong THINGS ASLEEP IN THE SUN. A sparse and scary gothick-folk song A SPELL CAST WITH FINGERS tells us the story of the hate that love inspires, whilst the epiphanic WAS CHRIST AMONG US THAT NIGHT builds to such a cathartic angelic fury that we almost find ourselves on a helter-skelter nightmare trip to Lourdes with LOW on the headphones. THE BELLRINGER'S WARNINGS AND OTHER STORIES provides us with a relentless tale of rebellion and revolution set to a soundscape by BUILT TO SPILL,and the epic jewelling-guitar rock workout (with echoes of BLONDE REDHEAD) of AT THE FEET OF SAINT PETER ends up in an orgiastic frenzy of lustrous MBV cacophanies. Fans of TELEVISION beware! Final track WATCHING FILMS WITH THE SOUND DOW! N sounds like the forgotten TV theme tune of some twisted country cousins playing warped acoustica and preparing to pluck out until the end of the storm.