Review Summary: An album of the future, past and present
I don't really know much about The Arcana other than they are a British band, began in 2016, and are Peter Lennodo, Jack Aquiziac and Joey Silverheel. I got to hear about them as a member of a Beatles forum. There had been some positive feedback concerning their single “Ghostwriter” and so I decided to take a closer look at their other releases. The only other release I could find, to date, was their debut album Tomorrow is Yesterday. I noticed that people had been raving about the cover design – tho’ you should never judge an 'album' by its cover. But I have to say that that I was completely blown away!
After listening to it a few times, it struck me how well suited this album would be to vinyl. In fact, I paused the CD after “Mr. Potts' Discovery” for about 30 seconds and resumed it again on “The Game”- I suppose it gave me a sense of expectation that you get with some albums on vinyl - Revolver springs to mind, although Tomorrow is Yesterday is nothing like Revolver in content, but you can certainly imagine The Beatles coming up with something like this, or at least some of the songs.
The album begins with “Despair” and Peter Lennodo singing,“...won't you leave me alone, we're coming for you..” which gives the lead backing vocals a conversational style and it makes you wonder where the angst is directed. I think this is a clever way of combining vocals and makes it very effective for the listener. The sweeping guitar melody at the start of “Something's Coming down” gives the song a Pink Floyd flavour, which continues throughout the song.
“Fool Me” and “Fallen Bird” complete the first four songs, but one common theme to these songs is the way the lyrics reflect a certain sadness with the hope of things getting better. Next comes “Ghostwriter” - very Beatlesque , particularly the guitar. The unexpected way the last track (on side 1!) pops up - “Mr. Potts' Discovery” makes you wonder if the CD has suddenly changed! It's surreal lyrics “...while painting in a fountain, he came across a symphony...” coupled with a happy-go-lucky melody makes it a great track to end on.
“The Game” (on side 2) has a Latin American sound that would not go amiss on a Santana album. Yet it still fits in with the overall mood of the album. The title song comes next - the pinnacle of the album. Peter Lennodo's voice is unquestionably Lennonesque and I think this song exhibits this more clearly that the other songs. If this song had been written in 1966 it would have been on Revolver. Had it been written in 1996 it would have been on Be Here Now. “Sometimes” with the words “...streets that spoke to me before say nothing any more, they speak to me from afar...” talks to anyone trying to escape what their environment has become - perhaps more relevant now than ever. “Looking Out For You” is a great rock tune, again with great lyrics “...you never hurry and you never worry, is there anybody looking out for you...” and “To Be Free” reflects what we are all thinking: “...we spend our time gathering information, so one day we will have the knowledge to be free..” The final song “Flying High” shows the band at its best, instrumentally. Laser sharp guitar, punchy base lines and animal drumming.
