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"Arclight" by Arc (Ian Boddy & Mark Shreeve)

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ARC: Arclight (DDL on DiN)

This 2015 release features 88 minutes of compelling electronic music recorded live at the Capstone Theatre in Liverpool, UK, on December 15, 2014.

Arc is Ian Boddy and Mark Shreeve.

Arc's signature sound of bouncy electronics is in grand form on this release.

These electronics exhibit a distinct joviality, as if each chord celebrates those to follow. The notes flow together to form spry riffs which in turn intertwine with adjacent riffs to create a lust pastiche of sonic beauty. Keyboards trigger some of these sounds, but there's also a plethora of non-key-generated pulsations: blurps and squeals coerced from cybernetic diodes.

While these hyperactive threads dominate the music, a host of sidereal effects are constantly swooping in to embellish the flow with their unexpected outcries.

Of textures and background atmospherics, there are few. Granted, a few bridges consist of such vaporous structures, but once the melodies kick in, ambience is abandoned and lively tuneage is embraced.

Rhythms play a vital role in this tuneage, and while some of them almost sound as if they're natural, rest assured they are all synthetic. Use of traditional-sounding beats is in the minority, though, as Arc routinely loop non-impact electronic noises to serve as tempos. There are some passages that shine with percussive brilliance.

These compositions are luscious, enticing and compelling. The sounds embodied in each song are sultry and crisp, often shrill (in a good way) and urgent (but not in a pushy manner). The melodies are alluring, sinuous things of glittering complexity. The tunes quite easily captivate the listener, drawing them deeper with each subsequent progression. For the most part, these compositions offer high energy delight to fans of retro electronic music.

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