| Arca / Xen |
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| Album: | Xen | Collection: | General | |
| Artist: | Arca | Added: | Dec 2014 | |
| Label: | Mute Records | |||
| A-File Activity |
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| 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 |
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| DJ Muscat Reviewed 2014-12-12 | ||
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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 |
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| 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 | |||||