Author: ?
Source: KZSU Zookeeper
Moments of post-rock, tech rock, moody darkness a la Sun O))) in these all instrumental compositions. Some tracks long and run the gamut, but they segue nicely and really explore their sonic worlds, going from quiet to loud and back, straight 4/4 rhythmic to strange triplets, from dissonance to chromatic. Cool stuff.
Author: Jason MacNeil
Source: All Music Guide
link to this article
Arc and Sender is, at its core, a three-piece ensemble that seems to have found a balance between the eerie, slow-building epic instrumentation of Godspeed You Black Emperor! But it is within a context that brings to mind Yo La Tengo or rapid-fire Sonic Youth, especially on the driving, pulsating “Hundred-Year Flood,” which recalls Primal Scream‘s “Shoot Speed Kill Light.” There are no drones or spacy fills heard, just a group that seems to have found what works and runs with it. The middle portion slows things down into an indie rock milieu prior to taking it down into prog rock territory. “Semblance” is a contemplative, reflective piece that draws you in and mellows you out. The trio of Ryan Grove, Jason Hutt, and Greg Pardew finds the synergy often on this tune full of twists and turns. The group opts for a minimalist approach on the sparse beginning of “Squares and Circles,” conjuring images of John Cale and Ry Cooder working on some new and exciting project. “Perambulations” has a slight lush groove thanks to the violin of Jennifer Hutt, which the song builds upon over time. What you don’t expect is how quickly it busts out into a full-fledged rock instrumental that recalls classic British metal bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Like most nine-minute songs, there are ebbs and flows in it, but the off-kiltered tempo at times only highlights how effective the band can be. The only problem is how messy the conclusion tends to be, in the vein of a bad B-side to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. This “stoner rock” quality grows on the remaining songs, making some good but not great. Unfortunately “Light Pain” also seems to hit a wall somewhat, with Dan Scofield‘s sax playing adding little to the proceedings. The horns and guitars make for a wall of sound that is extremely disconcerting at times. Nonetheless, Arc and Sender redeem this with an engaging, soothing coda entitled “Sleep Wake Hope and Then.” Warm and yet haunting, the song’s violin and drone quality tends to diminish the overall effect. Halfway through the guitars start to go off the rails and it takes on a Middle Eastern aura to it before Pardew and Hutt offer up a thick slab of guitar work, letting each note seemingly hang in the air.
Author: Christian Carey
Source: Signal to Noise Fall 2005
Experimental instrumental rock trio Arc And Sender wreak exuberant fury on their self-titled debut… Arc And Sender is filled with energetic power and inquisitive improvisation – a promising debut.
Author: Phil Freeman
Source: The Wire Aug 2005
Arc and Sender’s louder tracks (and some of the quiet ones, like “Squares and Circles”) owe quite a bit to Sonic Youth’s classic trilogy of Bad Moon Rising, Sister, and Evol. At the same time, the mellower tracks, with their ‘call and response’, also bear some reaces of hillbilly and folk found on the mid-80s albums by The Meat Puppets. …The album peaks in the middle, with “Preambulations”, featuring violinist Jennifer Hutt. Her stately drones contrast beautifully with the guitarists’ delicate plucking, and it’s a shame they leave her behind during the piece’s rip-roaring middle section. The last third of the track, a sea of disorienting, air-rippling drones seems to bring her back, but with everything humming loudly, it’s hard to tell. Nevertheless, this single gorgeous epic makes the album a must-hear.
Arc and Sender - s/t
All compositions ©2005 Arc and Sender.
Features guest appearances by saxophonist Dan Scofield (Shot X Shot, Sonic Liberation Front) and violinist Jennifer Hutt.
Recording by Edan Cohen at Soundgun (2004/05).
Additional recording and mixing by
Eric Carbonara at Nada Sound Studio.
Mastered by Mark Guenther at Seattle Disc Mastering.
Arc And Sender’s self-titled debut includes a range of pieces – from avant-garde interstitials to hard-driving walls of sounds to placid guitar arrangements. Despite being a relatively new band, the trio is earning comparisons to similar adventurous instrumental guitar-based bands like Growing, Tarentel, and godspeed you black emperor as well as guitar experimenters like Glenn Branca and Nels Cline.
Arc and Sender’s primary line-up features Jason Hutt on guitars, Ryan Grove on drums and Greg Pardew alternating between standard guitar and baritone guitar. The result is a density and swiftness that are impossible with the involvement of bass guitar. The album begins with a foreboding introduction before the storm-like crunch of “Hundred-Year Flood” fully introduces the band. The intricacy of Arc and Sender’s cacophony is best heard in this piece as each guitarist improvises freely within the composition’s structure. The guitars swell like waves out of the song’s surface, speeding by like a passing ambulance’s sirens.
Perhaps the most interesting track is “Squares and Circles.” Featuring all three members on prepared guitar, Arc and Sender creates a unique gamelan-type sound that showcases the band’s innovative quest for unique tones and textures. Likewise, “Skinner Box” showcases the band’s ability to construct fully improvisational pieces alongside with fully composed pieces.
While the massiveness of the guitars often sounds like more than two guitars, the only instance of actual over-dubbing is of violin and saxophone. Saxophonist Dan Scofield guests on “Light Pain.” His layered parts (he plays both alto and baritone) give the piece an unorthodox dizzying effect. Similarly, the addition of Jennifer Hutt’s violin on “Perambulations” gives the track more gravity and urgency. Pieces like “Semblance” and “Sleep Wake…” add another dimension to the band. Arc and Sender prove that they can create heavily textured music without the guitar barrage present in pieces like “Hundred-Year Flood” and “Perambulations.”
While the quiet/loud and soft/hard dichotomies are explored by Arc and Sender, it is done unobtrusively and gradually – differentiating the trio from bands often described as ‘math rock’ or ‘post-rock’.
