Art, creativity, and anything else that comes to mind. Can you imagine designing your life like this? In an incredible format, where what we dreamt the night before is transformed into an intense live experience, for everyone and everything to enjoy.
We live intensely, often without noticing that next to us there are also people, human beings, with the same ambitions, beliefs and desires. We pull at our navel – and whenever something arises that we feel we should share, we show it to the whole world, in a unique sense of vanity that always allows us to dream in the open air.
Today we witnessed one of those moments. Better, we publicise one of those bands that does what it wants, at the time it wants, in the style it decided to take on that release. From Chicago to the World, meet Arthhur and their latest record.
Occult Fractures
The band started its motto by Mike Fox, a musical visionary who wants to dream to the sound of what’s on his mind. He sings, plays guitar, synths, piano, percussion. And with this we fly through indie-rock, art-rock, dance moves, you call it. Whatever they want to do, they’ll do. And for this journey, we also join Matt Sean, a multi-instrumentalist who had already played with Mike in the band Flesh of the Stars and Luke, bassist and percussionist who you want to hear on loop.
In this adventure about the hidden fractures that are spreading through our lives, we include even more geniuses of the field, with Audrey Alger-Daniels on strings, lead/group vocals, Nico Ciani on percussion, Joe Duran and Noah Wood on sax, Josh Jessen on synths.
Altogether, in nine songs, separated by 50 minutes that promise us to blush with joy and desire to live more and better.
We start with “Antihistamine Money“. Open-air beauty, where we get 11 minutes of a bunch of rhythms ranging from alternative rock, jazz, funk, the danceable, the dreamy, everything. It’s not just beautiful, it’s incredible. And the final jam part turns everything into such a groovy wave that you don’t want to let go.
“Doom Journalism” has a very The Strokes‘ beginning, reminding us of The Adults Are Talking, from their latest album The New Abnormal. After the introduction, we have a frenetic rhythm commanded by the immaculate voice of the vocalist. Suddenly, we hear cellos in the distance, a drum emerging in our ears, guitars, back vocals and bass – all in the same cauldron, in an addictive synergy that would make the greatest thinkers of recent times blush.
And when the strings own the way, we have “Ripped and Dumb” ahead of us. Twenty haunting seconds culminate in the vocalist’s voice, reminiscent of Phobophobes. How addictive.
Back to the early days. And it’s with a more rural style, close to the jungle, that we have “Eschaton“. The beat goes up, so does our heart rate. It feels like we’re in The Jungle Book, where we hear the various noises of the forest around us, followed by a guitar that wants to caress us at the highest level.
And there’s no stopping. At the end of the trail through the jungle, we have the dance floor. And this is where “Keep Moving” comes in and its danceable rhythms until sunset. Jungle, Prince – and all those rhythms that won’t let us leave the dance floor.
“No Results” brings the drums to the centre of the stage. And it is in this more rocky mote that we feel in the middle of the film Whiplash, in the incessant search for perfection. You see, we have a rock, punk and jazz aspect to this song. Divine.
Making BADBADNOTGOOD blush mixed with The Rapture and some iconic 80s voice, we have “Never Enuff“. It’s jazz, mixed with blues, some sweet touches of rock and an extraordinary voice that guides us on an endless beach of flavours.
“Occult Fractures“, the song that gives the album its name, is, again, a hit. Do you see that slow where we want to grab our most everything with all available hands? This is the right moment.
We close with a golden key – and it’s on “Ripped and Patient” that the rhythms enter our veins without any time to respond. They are electrifying, to the point of making us smile without knowing it.
“Occult Fractures” is, without a shadow of a doubt, a unique piece of art, where each section is a totally different adventure. The ensemble reinvents itself with each song ensuring, always, an irreverent way of dancing. A WtMM recommendation.