Arca / Xen
Album: Xen   Collection:General
Artist:Arca   Added:Dec 2014
Label:Mute Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2014-12-12 Pull Date: 2015-02-13
Week Ending: Feb 8 Feb 1 Jan 25 Jan 18 Jan 11 Jan 4 Dec 28 Dec 21
Airplays: 2 3 3 3 2 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. May 27, 2017: Ode to Year Two
Now You Know
4. Aug 30, 2016: Life Aquatic
Thievery
2. Apr 15, 2017: Reckless Burning
Xen
5. Oct 02, 2015: Know Tomorrow Stanford featuring Al Gore
Thievery, Family Violence
3. Mar 11, 2017: Reckless Burning
Now You Know
6. Feb 06, 2015: Electric Outlet (2/6)
Slit Thru

Album Review
DJ Muscat
Reviewed 2014-12-12
genre: the jetsons as told by rosie the robot, electronic, human computer interaction

Off-kilter electronica from this Venezuelan producer. Garnered praise for a couple of EPs he’s dropped and work with FKA Twigs and Kanye West (on Yeezus). Xen is his debut full-length and it has some really stunning pockets of sound. Often straddles the line between ambient music and abstract hip-hop. The soundtrack to a much more menacing director’s cut of “Her”.

No FCCs (all instrumental). Favorites: 9, 1, 6, 3, 2, 13

Others: SD Laika, FKA Twigs, Evian Christ, Oneohtrix Point Never, Burial

1. (3:58) **** Gooey synths. Turns into a slinky beat with some really cool use of found sounds and distorted samples. Super great mood setter for the rest of the album.
2. (1:20) ** Sentimental tone. Short and gorgeous. Works well as a precursor to the next track.
3. (3:19) *** Sinister sample. Oscillates between really dense instrumentation and blissed out synth work. Industrial edge toward the end.
4. (1:56) ** Pensive…peaceful…the mind control is beginning to take hold
5. (2:22) ** Interesting melody paired with relatively straightforward drums.
6. (2:12) ** Almost chopped & screwed feel to this. Vocal samples dance along the outskirts, barely in view
7. (3:40) Begins with wandering synth…then doesn’t really develop much over the course of the track. Pretty enough, but not essential.
8. (2:14) * Anxious strings. Could work as a cool lead up to the next track.
9. (2:34) **** Oh yes. Arca’s trump card. One of my favorite tracks of the year. Play play play.
10. (2:56) ** Some super cool textures and loopy synths in this one. Deconstructs itself in last ~30 seconds.
11. (2:08) ** Noisy opening turns into a strangely glitchy groove. Disorientation never tasted so good.
12. (2:10) * Doleful orchestral Burial-core. Ghastly gorgeous.
13. (2:52) ** Heavy beginning bursts into hyperactive wonky then saturated synth mayhem For the brave of heart
14. (2:59) Slightly meandering without any truly interesting textures. Skippable.
15. (2:52) Metallic and tense. Noisy steam drenched industrial

Track Listing
1. Now You Know   8. Family Violence
2. Held Apart   9. Thievery
3. Xen   10. Lonely Thugg
4. Sad Bitch   11. Fish
5. Sisters   12. Wound
6. Slit Thru   13. Bullet Chained
7. Failed   14. Tongue
  15. Promise