Arca - Mutant

Arca
Mutant
2015
Arca - Mutant

You can probably tell from the picture above that this record is most likely not going to be sunshine and flowers. The title track is little more than staticy voices over twitchy beats which are far from something you want to put on in the background of a party. Arca is making something to be reckoned with rather than something to be enjoyed. There are very few places to ground yourself and hold on to a beat or a melody instead He keeps you constantly on your toes like a really good horror movie. Mutant is one of those records that you know is music, but you aren't quite sure why or how. back to the title track despite it's seeming oddness there is a movement around the third minute that is quite beautiful and flowing but always with that sinister twitch undertone. This music balances on a razors edge ready to drop into one form or another but never with any real rhyme or reason. The odd thing about Mutant is nothing ever sounds bad, it is just so different that it is hard to wrap your mind around.

This record is a lot like modern art. You know the artist has skill, you know they can probably do the basic things at a high level but instead they choose to go a different direction. They choose to experiment. That feeling is most evident on "Front Load", the bones of the song are so interesting and engaging but there is still that bit of Arca that will not allow it to be totally relaxing, for Him it needs to be more than that. Listening to Mutant you can't help but think of Aphex Twin as the two are doing some of the same work in almost the same space. If you are in the mood for avante-garde than Arca is your man, however if listening to something uncomfortable makes you, well, uncomfortable probably best to sit this one out.

6 out of 10