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Mutant(album)

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Mutant
A red figure whose body resembles a cardiac with long, black extensions on the sides of its head resembling horns and eyes with white pupils and black scleras and thin, long arms
Studio albumby
Arca
Released20 November 2015(2015-11-20)
Genre
Length62:06
LabelMute
ProducerAlejandra Ghersi
Arcachronology
Sheep
(2015) 		Mutant
(2015) 		Entrañas
(2016)
SinglesfromMutant
  1. "Vanity"
    Released: 31 May 2015
  2. "Soichiro"
    Released: 28 September 2015
  3. "EN"
    Released: 15 October 2015
  4. "Front Load"
    Released: 23 November 2015

Mutantis the secondstudio albumby Venezuelan electronic music producerArca.It was released on 20 November 2015 viaMute.[2]

According to Arca, the album chronicles, "sensuality and impulsiveness as escape routes out of rigidity".[2]It has been labeled as anoise,trap,[3]industrialandexperimentalalbum.[4]To promoteMutant,four singles were released. Upon release, the album was critically acclaimed[5]and was ranked asTiny Mix Tapes' favorite album of 2015.[6]

Composition

[edit]

The IndependentdescribedMutantas an album of "intricately layeredsound collages"in which Arca employs mostly machine-made textures" to convey extremes of emotion – be it euphoria, menace, paranoia, melancholy. "[7]Sam Richards ofNMEwrote that while Arca was clearly influenced byR&B,hip hopanddubstep,they distort and subvert these "familiar aural cues", "never allowing [their] beats to lock into conventional grooves." They commented that "Sever" and "Faggot" use elements oftrap,while the calm interludes "Else" and "Extent" act as counterpoints to the record's "more disorientatingnoiseassaults. "[3]

Rachel Aroesti ofThe Guardiansaid thatMutantprofiles Arca'sexperimentalwork, eschewing the "corrupted hip-hop beats" of their earlier work in favour of a style that had grown "[i]ncreasingly unaccountable to any kind of rhythmic framework". They added that the music often typically comprises "stabs ofindustrialsound that eventually assemble into a cranking, Frankenstein's monster of a refrain ".[4]Simon Chandler ofPopMatterssaid that "Mutanthas Arca throwing everything —glitch,IDM,dubstep, industrial,techno,ambient,noise andworld music— into an experimental microcosm of a record, an electronic hothouse where every conceivable touchstone coexists in an awkward, ugly but ultimately breathtaking harmony. "They considered this" brand of inchoate, diversifiedelectronicato be "music for a globalized world, for an Earth in which ancient traditions sit alongside the often devastating power of new technologies".[1]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[8]
Metacritic81/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
ConsequenceB+[10]
Financial Times[11]
The Guardian[12]
NME4/5[13]
The Observer[14]
Pitchfork8.4/10[15]
Resident Advisor3.2/5[16]
Spin8/10[17]
ViceA−[18]

Mutantreceived widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. AtMetacritic,which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaveragescore of 81, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[5]

Mark Richardson ofPitchforkgave the album a very positive review, stating, "Compared toXen,Mutantfeels less composed and less indebted toclassical music.With many tracks on the former album you could squint a little bit and imagine them being performed by a daring new music ensemble, à laAphex TwinwithAlarm Will Sound.ButMutantleans toward soundscape, avoiding proper songs. "Richardson concludes," OnMutant,Ghersi turns a fixation on porousness and instability into a kind of spiritual pursuit. "[15]

Writing forExclaim!,Daryl Keating saidMutant"is an album that is eventually rewarding, but only to those who are determined to follow its scattered pathway to the satisfying, aggregate end."[19]

Publication Accolade Year Rank
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2015 2015
38[20]
Tiny Mix Tapes 2015: Favorite 50 Music Releases 2015
1[21]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written byAlejandra Ghersi

No.TitleLength
1."Alive"3:56
2."Mutant"7:27
3."Vanity"4:16
4."Sinner"3:35
5."Anger"2:00
6."Sever"2:13
7."Beacon"0:48
8."Snakes"4:50
9."Else"2:30
10."Umbilical"2:09
11."Hymn"1:57
12."Front Load"2:44
13."Gratitud" (transl. Gratitude)3:44
14."EN"3:04
15."Siren Interlude"0:43
16."Extent"2:34
17."Enveloped"2:22
18."Faggot"3:10
19."Soichiro"4:35
20."Peonies"3:29
Total length:62:06
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
21."Ashland"5:07
Total length:67:13

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2015) Peak
position
USTop Dance/Electronic Albums(Billboard)[22] 9
USHeatseekers Albums(Billboard)[23] 20

References

[edit]
  1. ^ab"The 80 Best Albums of 2015".12 August 2015.Retrieved6 January2020.
  2. ^abMinsker, Evan; Strauss, Matthew (15 October 2015)."Arca Details New Album Mutant, Shares" EN "Video".Pitchfork.Retrieved15 October2015.
  3. ^abRichards, Sam (19 November 2015)."Arca – 'Mutant'".NME.Retrieved29 July2022.
  4. ^abAroesti, Rachel (19 November 2015)."Arca: Mutant review – distressing and transcendental sonic experiments".the Guardian.Retrieved29 July2022.
  5. ^abc"Reviews for Mutant by Arca".Metacritic.Retrieved3 December2015.
  6. ^"2015: 50 Favorite Music Releases".Tiny Mix Tapes.16 December 2015.Retrieved16 December2015.
  7. ^Cairns, Dan; Edwards, Mark; Verrico, Lisa; Davis, Clive."Pop, Rock and Jazz, Nov 29".The Independent.Archived fromthe originalon 10 January 2023.Retrieved25 April2023.
  8. ^"Mutant by Arca reviews".AnyDecentMusic?.Retrieved6 December2019.
  9. ^Phares, Heather."Mutant – Arca".AllMusic.Retrieved3 December2015.
  10. ^Geffen, Sasha (18 November 2015)."Arca – Mutant".Consequence of Sound.Retrieved1 June2022.
  11. ^Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (20 November 2015)."Arca: Mutant — review".Financial Times.Retrieved10 May2019.
  12. ^Aroesti, Rachel (19 November 2015)."Arca: Mutant review – distressing and transcendental sonic experiments".The Guardian.Retrieved3 December2015.
  13. ^Richards, Sam (19 November 2015)."Arca – 'Mutant'".NME.Archived fromthe originalon 22 November 2015.Retrieved25 December2017.
  14. ^Empire, Kitty(22 November 2015)."Arca: Mutant review – digital shape-shifting".The Observer.Retrieved25 December2017.
  15. ^abRichardson, Mark (18 November 2015)."Arca: Mutant".Pitchfork.Retrieved25 December2017.
  16. ^Finlayson, Angus (20 November 2015)."Arca – Mutant".Resident Advisor.Archived fromthe originalon 7 October 2016.Retrieved19 April2022.
  17. ^Joyce, Colin (19 November 2015)."Review: Arca Explores the Sexuality of Electronic Abstractions on 'Mutant'".Spin.Retrieved25 December2017.
  18. ^Christgau, Robert(4 December 2015)."Cybergrunge and Future Electronics: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau".Vice.Retrieved4 December2015.
  19. ^Keating, Daryl (18 November 2015)."Arca: Mutant".Exclaim!.Retrieved3 December2015.
  20. ^"The 50 Best Albums of 2015".Pitchfork.16 December 2015.Retrieved16 December2015.
  21. ^"2015: 50 Favorite Music Releases".Tiny Mix Tapes.16 December 2015.Retrieved16 December2015.
  22. ^"Arca Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  23. ^"Arca Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved 11 November 2022.
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