Somewhere along the way, everyone decided that in order for music to
be personal, it also had to be spare, acoustic, and underdone. Recently,
Will Oldham reinforced that notion when his Viva Last Blues tour and album
were received as just a sloppy country bar band, paling in comparison to
his earlier, sparer music. Joan of Arse definitely presents themselves as
a direct descendent of the Palace aesthetic, but the band denies this notion
that instruments must be secondary and uses insistent, forceful electric
guitar to power their introspective ruminations.
Musically, this puts Joan of Arse closer to melodic rock bands like Seam and
Karate than the current breed of singer/songwriters. The heart of the band
is the bare sound of electric guitar and drums. However, the group adds a
wide variety of other sounds, used sparingly, from found sounds to organ to
piano, to expand the palette and vary the songs. Lyrically in Joan of Arse
(if you couldn't tell from the band name), there is a sardonic sense of humour
that lingers throughout. Much like Smog, though, Joan of Arse doesn't let
that get in the way of pouring out emotion by the jug-ful. The singer's vocals
tremble and warble their way through the songs, strengthening the power of his
words, as if he is struggling and unsure, like he desperately needs the
listener's help making it home tonight.
Joan of Arse are not a better rock band than Seam or Karate, and they are not
better singer/songwriters than Palace or Smog. However, they are definitely
a better rock band than Palace or Smog and are arguably better
singer/songwriters than Karate or Seam. Joan of Arse might not do either
aspect extraordinarily well, but they are strong in both aspects,
making them a very good band.
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