By: Alan D. Welding
“. . . the album’s just radiating all over with human care and warmth . . .” — The FADER

 

On new album, MORE, Alexis Georgopoulos (aka Arp) makes his first album-length foray into song and further establishes himself as a restless artist inspired by the idea of “variousness” and not content to stay put. Throughout, Arp moves away from the synth centric-abstractions so prevalent on earlier albums, The Soft Wave (a New York Times’“overlooked highlight” of 2010) and In Light, instead focusing on melodic songcraft and, at times, heavy atmospherics. Perhaps best described as a pop album by an avant-garde musician, the 12 pieces comprising MORE may best be heard as distinct scenes in a single film, and this being his first New York album, the city figures in significantly, both in scale and in character. It’s performed almost entirely by Georgopoulos and reveals an impressive grasp of style and vision, following a distinct narrative, dipping into 70s art rock, autumnal baroque pop, musique concréte, minimalistic piano epics, narcotic gospel, sound library atmospheres, and delicate space folk.

 

MORE proves we do not know what Georgopoulos might do next, and makes his work all the more compelling for it. The album is out next Tuesday, September 17th on Smalltown Supersound. Listen to it in its entirety now via The FADER and read about Georgopoulos’ inspiration behind the new direction.

 

STREAM ARP’s MORE VIA THE FADER –

http://www.thefader.com/2013/09/12/stream-arps-more-lp/

 

Arp’s “High-Heeled Clouds” – http://snd.sc/135k86D 

Arp’s “More (Blues)” – http://snd.sc/11W1s3H

Arp’s MORE pre-order – http://bit.ly/17Qv0qo

Arp Tour Dates:

Sat. Sep. 14 — Middlebury, VT @ Middlebury College

Fri. Sep. 27 — Montreal, CA @ Pop Montreal w/ Amantani, Ponctuation, Buddy McNeil

Sat. Sep. 28 — Québec, C @ Le Cercle

Wed. Oct. 16 — Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory [Panache CMJ Showcase]

“both dreamy and sharp, creating an inviting coupling of the earthy and the unreal. There’s something unsettling about it as it builds to an echoing crescendo in its final third, and that feels like the perfect place to be, wrong-footed by Georgopoulos once again as Arp becomes ever harder to pin down.” – Pitchfork

 

“The repeating chord pattern is reminiscent of classic ’60s Motown ballads (The Marvelettes’ ‘Darling Forever’ comes to mind) is almost like a too-perfect pop song, until the ending fades into an ambient wash, hinting at what ARP is fully capable of.” – Cool Hunting

 

“an airy, beautiful production that’s a world away from Georgopoulos’s previous work, which was synth-heavy and experimental. The change suits him well.” – Flavorwire [“The 10 Best New Songs We Heard This Week”]

 

Arp online:

www.studioalexisgeorgopoulos.com

www.pitchperfectpr.com/a_arp.html

www.smalltownsupersound.com

www.facebook.com/pages/A-R-P/178416295508156

Leave a Reply