Weekly Album: Week of 03/12 - 03/18 - Flowers

This week I listened to Flowers by Joan of Arc. Unlike a lot of the other bands I've listened to for these weekly albums, I am reasonably familiar with the work of Joan of Arc. I've listened to their first 4 albums and some other songs here and there. They were a band I didn't quite get at first, discovering them through their connection to Cap'n Jazz, who are one of my favorite bands ever. But after getting over the initial hump of the very different sound, I enjoyed them a lot more. Out of the albums I have listened to, I think I enjoy Live in Chicago, 1999 the most. Flowers, however, is giving that album a run for its money. This album has a lot of Joan of Arc staples, having some electronic songs like the opening track "Fogbow" or the even stranger "Fasting". It has the abstract lyrics, the layered instrumentals, and the harsh contrasts between songs and even within songs. But the thing that I feel sets this apart from the other albums of theirs I have listened to is the style and feel of the whole album. The whole album sounds a lot happier in a way as the songs feel more upbeat. "A Delicious Herbal Laxative", "Table of the Laments", and "Life Sentence / Twisted Ladder" showcase this the most, the last of them almost sounding like a normal indie rock song which is pretty rare for this band! It almost sounds like Dinosaur Jr. which is a comparison I never thought I would make with a band like Joan of Arc, but here I am. Flowers is overall a fun time, not requiring as much thinking and intensive listening as some of the band's other work (from what I have heard of them). It's a relaxed album that you can either throw on in the background while working or just listen to have a good time, and who doesn't love a good time? To quote the title of another Joan of Arc song, "If it Feels / Good, Do it" 8.5/10 album