By WT Edwards
With the recent release of Diagonal Fields, Arc in Round has offered up a detailed look into a band with a new beginning. Before Arc in Round came to be, they were known as Relay, a regular in the Philly music scene. But due to legal difficulties with the common name, Relay was put to bed and the band re-emerged as Arc in Round. This was originally just a side project with a borrowed name from a Disco Inferno song as it was a favorite of the groups 2 songwriters, Jeff Zigler and Mikele Edwards. However, with building tension around the name Relay (primarily, well, a Cease and Desist order), the band adopted the side project’s name permanently and began to build on it. The EP born out of this was a noise-pop, shoegaze paradise. Inspired by My Bloody Valentine and Swirlies, Arc in Round steps out of the ether with melodies that are akin to the vapors of which they came. The 5-song EP starts with 3am All the Time. An older song, says Zigler, but one that made the EP that much more of an organic process to create. While Diagonal Fields is only a brief introspective into the band’s tonal library, songs like Spirit truly capture a melodic dissonance between Mikele’s vocals, the staccato drums and a floating chorus of synth. Through to the end of the Diagonal Fields, Arc in Round daringly rifle though experimental collaborations of magnificent sounds in and out of harmony.
The unique experimentation of sound conducted by Arc in Round yields not only from the band as a collective, Zigler, Edwards, Ian Fraser (bassist), and Matt Ricchini (drummer), but also from the fact that the mixing is not engineered by a 3rd party. Zigler himself engineers the recording for Arc in Round. Known as somewhat of an engineering mastermind, Zigler has worked with other prominent artists such as Kirt Vile and War on Drugs. He’s been credited on more than 20 albums as producer or engineer. Having the ability to be involved in such an intimate part of the process of the album creation could be looked at as both a blessing and a curse. Obviously, being at the ground level of the recording process allows for far greater artistic liberties, but Zigler says that the attention to detail can inhibit the artistic process. By focusing in on small attributes of a piece, one can lose sight of the big picture. However, taking time and stepping back to listen to the work as a whole, Zigler is able to overcome this challenge. Despite, or maybe more because of these hurdles, Arc in Round has certainly produced a one of a kind musical experience in Diagonal Fields.
The much-anticipated release of Arc in Rounds full length, self-titled album is slated to be out in May of this year. On the wings of this release, the band plans to tour the east coast through much of the mid-west with band favorite Soars. When I asked Zigler what places he would most like to take the band, he told me that when Relay was playing there was much talk of touring through Japan. Unfortunately that never came to fruition. However, with the band playing the local Philly hot spots like Johnny Brenda’s, Kung-Fu Necktie and The Ox, and with emerging artists like Pattern is Movement and Violins, they will only be heightening their notoriety and surely be on their way to an international tour.
Be sure to check out Arc in Round at The Ox April 2nd with Grooms and Roommate. An Arc in Round live performance is one that promises to be one full of incredible sound exploration. So, whether you catch them in a small intimate setting or in a grand open room, it makes no difference. Arc in Round’s music can fill any space. If you can’t make it to the show (or even if you can for that matter), their EP, Diagonal Fields can be purchased via the website as a digital download, CD, or for you fans of 90’s nostalgia, cassette. Our suggestion, if we will: Get the EP, sit back and turn it up. See where Arc in Round takes you.
