Joan of Arc
's second album, 1998's
How Memory Works
, bridges
emo
-
punk
and
post-rock
in a more original and fully realized way than their debut,
A Portable Model Of
. Musically,
boasts some interesting arrangements, from the electronic/electric clash of
"This Life Cumulative"
to the droning guitars and
noise
bursts on
"A Pale Orange."
Tracks like
"Gin & Platonic"
"White Out"
feature just enough
pop
structure and melody to make them accessible as well as ambitious, and the band borrows some of
Gastr del Sol
's acoustic prettiness for
"To've Had Two Of."
But unfortunate song titles like the previous one, belabored, rambling lyrics, and
Tim Kinsella
's marginally listenable singing weigh down the interesting ideas
suggests.
works best when the band remembers to write a song as well as experiment. ~ Heather Phares