There has been no forgive and no forget, but there is silence.
I am stuck in a state of delirium. It has been an overwhelming year. A landmark of broken morals, lost dignity, alienation, solitude and a tonne of trust issues. As it draws to a close, there is only hope, a hope like birds that sense the dawn and sing when it is still dark.
With that small yet tenacious encouragement I am escaping this past and embracing something better. My sketch books, my notebook, my playlist and of course, a cigarette paired with an extra milky cup of tea by my side.
At the moment, above them all, it is all about Arcane Roots. They have given me an ear worm and it listens, expresses and comforts my burnt broken mind, heart and soul.
Earlier this year I took a leap, not out of choice, into an abyss and I have had to build my own wings on the way down. It takes a strong talent, fret wrangling firepower and emotive lyrics to reach out to somebody possessed by this heavy bubble.
"You're all that matters now I know, we're holding on, our teeth and lips now numb, it does not matter in the cold"
Trying to justify Arcane Roots is just as hard as justifying the point in decaffeinated tea to somebody who suffers with nightmares. They are the precision, passion and intricate design of progressive rock. They are math-rock, melodic rock and they are raucous. Made up of elaborate versus, skippy time signatures, soft harmonies and a sprinkling of falsetto.
They released their mini-album Left Fire in early 2011, which raised confident praises and awareness. Personally I think when they dared to record one of rocks most famous riffs Smells Like Teen Spirit, their journey really began. Since then in May 2013 they released their new creation, Blood & Chemistry. Coincidentally around this time devastation was raining on me like a constant shower of bricks and stones. The tie between this band and the commotion I faced this summer is spooky and unbreakable.
Blood & Chemistry is a fire, spitting miniature explosions here and there, surrendering glowing embers which fly and dance into a night sky where their music takes a life of its own. (it was only after i scribbled this thought i realised the album artwork…)
Whether the song is more upbeat with convulsive guitar shreds or slowing down with sincere vocals, the album is composed with consistent energy. It is crafted with dynamics.
Everybody has a different favourite, my own consist of Hell & High Water, Belief, Sacred Shapes and Held Like Kites. Slow is in fact my most played/favourable song in my entire library at the moment.
The first time I listened to Blood & Chemistry was on a boat, darting between Greek islands (honestly) It was a magical way to be introduced to such a complex piece of musical art. The waves crashed and glittered in the sun, the instrumental engineering injected excitement and I enjoyed a few moments of pure blissful void in my mind.
Despite the plentiful melodies, the jagged mathematic wildness may perhaps be too intense for the faint hearted and the band will not/are not ready to descend to just pure infectious honey, where the likes of Biffy Clyro stand in their current headlining status (ahem, for an example)