The last time we heard from Arcane Roots, it seemed like the band had hit a wall. The praise lavished on debut LP ‘Blood and Chemistry’ could only carry them so far, and the departure of drummer Daryl Atkins in June of 2015 —later revealed to be permanent — seemed to suggest they were on the ropes somewhat. This preceded the release of their EP ‘Heaven and Earth’ in October. More than a mere stopgap, it was the culmination of everything Atkins and his cohorts Andrew Groves and Adam Burton had worked towards since the stabilisation of their lineup in 2008, neatly drawing a line under his time in the band while signalling a shift away from the sound they had established, and venturing down some unexpected avenues.
The feverish anticipation surrounding what would become ‘Melancholia Hymns’ began its gradual swell when the band returned to the fray late last year with the sombre ‘Curtains’, their first offering since the introduction of Jack Wrench (InDynamics) as their new drummer. It makes prominent use of synth strings and electronic textures, both of which feature heavily on the album, and reaps benefits when put into its proper context as part of a complete work, as do the three succeeding singles ‘Off the Floor’, ‘Matter’ and ‘Everything [All at Once]’, the latter of which will delight fans of the trio’s riff-driven material. It acknowledges the complex structures and shifting time signatures of their earlier efforts while also packing a concentrated melodic punch.
Of course, the band’s acts of musical dexterity would be for naught if they were incapable of combining technical prowess with hooks, and that’s where ‘Melancholia Hymns’ really shines. ‘Matter’ opens with Groves’ falsetto soaring over a synthesised backdrop, before Wrench’s drumming kicks in and the song explodes, anchored by a chunky guitar hook and a strident, take-no-prisoners forward momentum that means the track is over before you know it. From there, a spacey interlude makes way for the album’s first epic, ‘Indigo’, which stretches to six-and-a-half minutes while flying the flag for the band’s embrace of electronic music. It’s a definite departure from the norm for them, but ‘Melancholia Hymns’ is all about pushing things forward. This spirit of adventure extends to sequencing and the creation of the album experience, too. Here, Arcane Roots present the most diverse and multifaceted version of themselves across the album’s 10 tracks, stitched and segued together until you don’t know where one ends and another begins.
Starting with the spine-tingling beauty of ‘Before Me’, a song that’s far enough removed from the rest of their catalogue as to completely wrongfoot the listener, the album unfolds as a single 55-minute piece. In a manner of speaking, there is no easy entry point to ‘Melancholia Hymns’ itself, as the album’s flow and structure is such that it demands — and deserves — to be experienced as a whole. Going for this all-or-nothing approach to sequencing the record will no doubt have its detractors, but Arcane Roots have never been ones to do things by halves. Less abrasive and more textured than the sound they’ve cultivated for the previous decade — though the likes of ‘Arp’ and ‘Solemn’ will surely satisfy newcomers as well as more seasoned fans — ‘Melancholia Hymns’ is an absolute beast of an album in sound and scope.
Listeners will try and fail to take it all in on their first go-around, but while the record can seem daunting and flat-out overwhelming at times, its replay value is through the roof and it will no doubt be similarly impressive in the live arena, in which the band excelled even before they were able to recreate that intensity in the studio. Getting the most out of their new record will require putting plenty of work in, but the ‘eureka!’ moment makes everything worth it. If you’ve been looking for a challenging, forward-thinking and staggeringly ambitious ‘rock record’ (in the loosest sense of the term), then congratulations, here’s your album of the year.
GARETH O’MALLEY