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Each Arc concert seems to make a point of blowing away the boundaries of Spacemusic. With heroic melodies, pulse-quickening tempos and dramatic chord progressions Ian Boddy & Mark Shreeve never follow precisely the course we are expecting. Arclight (87'52") was recorded at the Casptone Theater in Liverpool on 15 November 2014. Packed with ideas, energy and memorable moments we willingly fall under its spell. Using varied narrative strategies Boddy & Shreeve tell a propulsive story. Now the standard bearer for sequencer pattern architecture, the well worked electronic machinery used by this duo speeds headlong through a vivid sonic terrain. Supported by Mellotron strings and synthesized harmonies the moving forms pulse within curvilinear shapes. As ratcheting rhythmic trills emphasize overdriven synth leads, the music rises in a delicately shaded force. Stretching the musical landscape nearly into rock territory the seven pieces click together to form a wonderful concert album. But Arclight is much more than just a delayed reaction to the Berlin-School. It adds provocative new dimensions to this genre. Listeners will be moved, and exhausted by their sonic adventurism. As if on a journey with Boddy & Shreeve, the audience is pulled into the drama unfolding on the stage - which is perhaps where Arc's abilities are best expressed.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 2 July 2015 |
