Joan of Arc (band)
Encyclopedia
Joan of Arc are an American indie rock
band from Chicago
, Illinois
. They formed in 1995, following the breakup of Cap'n Jazz
.
Singer Tim Kinsella
has been the only permanent member of the group; he has also recorded as a solo artist.
Joan of Arc are known for their use of electronics, samples
, and multi-track recording in their songs; some songs on The Gap contained over 100 tracks.
Joan of Arc's lyrics and cover art are often intentionally misleading, humorous, or confusing. For example, the album Live in Chicago 1999 is not a live album, but a reference to the fact that the band lived in Chicago in the year 1999.
Members of Joan of Arc have been in many other bands including Friend/Enemy with Califone's
Tim Rutili
; American Football
with Kinsella's brother Mike; Owls
, a Cap'n Jazz reunion; Ghosts and Vodka; Everyoned, and most recently Make Believe
.
A Portable Model Of... introduced JOA's signature sound: a fondness for stark acoustic songs combined with subtle electronics. The debut album also included some harder material and collaborations with former Cap'n Jazz guitarist and The Promise Ring
singer Davey von Bohlen
and Euphone's Ryan Rhapsys, who would later drum for Owls following the departure of Mike Kinsella.
In 1998, Joan of Arc released How Memory Works. The album included what would become a hallmark of Joan Of Arc's subsequent output: interludes of synthetic noises cut with vocal samples and off-beat instrumentation. As always, Kinsella's lyrics were cryptic and oblique, though the song 'This Life Cumulative' made reference to the media alienation of singer/songwriter Fiona Apple
.
Following the departure of Mike Kinsella, Erik Bocek, and the addition of Todd Mattei, Joan Of Arc found themselves thrust unwillingly into the spotlight by the sudden success of a Jade Tree retrospective by Kinsella's former band Cap'n Jazz. Despite being heralded as a pioneer of a diverse genre known as 'emo
' (a term rejected by Kinsella), Joan of Arc's next album was a reaction to this unwelcome classification. The songs on the album were slower and contained more spacious arrangements thanks to a newly found fondness for studio trickery. The album's artwork depicted recreated scenes from Jean-Luc Godard
's 1967 film Weekend. The release of Live in Chicago also marked the increasing media perception of Joan Of Arc as a 'difficult' band, an impression that would dog Kinsella in particular throughout the band's existence.
Negative critical reaction to Joan of Arc would become especially apparent after the release of The Gap in 2000. Completely eschewing past convention, JOA created one long ebbing piece of music, with only occasionally recognizable songs. This increasingly progressive studio-heavy approach- mostly of clattering, incidental percussion and background noise- found some favor among band loyalists, but baffled the music press. As a result, growing tensions within the group, indifference from their label, and a poorly-received follow-up EP led to Joan Of Arc's breakup.
Tim Kinsella then formed a group called Owls, a reincarnation of the original Cap'n Jazz lineup. After recording the album with Steve Albini
in 2001, the departure of Mike Kinsella and Victor Villareal led to the Owls' breakup. Left without a band once again, Tim Kinsella started working on songs for a solo album. After completing the album with help from Sam Zurich and Mike Kinsella, Tim Kinsella decided that since all three had played in Joan Of Arc, it should bear the name Joan of Arc. The album, much different from the conceptual madness of The Gap, instead consisted of guitar-driven tracks with journal-like observation from Tim Kinsella. Heralded as a return to form, So Much Staying Alive And Lovelessness
became the band's last on Jade Tree.
Later that year, Joan Of Arc released In Rape Fantasy And Terror Sex We Trust
on Perishable Records
, featured collaborations with Califone's
Tim Rutili
and Ben Massarella
, and was produced by Califone
. Although the songs had been recorded during the same sessions as ...Lovelessness, they were darker and more collage-based. According to the website Allmusic, on In Rape Fantasy And Terror Sex We Trust
"Joan of Arc...once more surpassed themselves as artists".
To tour the albums in 2003, Tim Kinsella organised a new lineup including Bobby Burg, Nate Kinsella (Tim's cousin) and Sam Zurich, who would also double as his side-project Make Believe
. After a live album recorded in Germany and a split EP with Bundini Brown (of Tortoise and Gastr Del Sol), the band assembled a huge team of collaborators for 2004's Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain
on Polyvinyl Records. This effort was largely well-regarded and a significant step forward for a new incarnation of Joan of Arc.
For the album Presents Guitar Duets
(Polyvinyl Records), Tim Kinsella rounded up ten former members of Joan Of Arc and others like Tim Rutili
. Each was paired off with a partner by pulling names from a hat. Each pair then had to record a guitar duet together, and the styles vary from standard acoustic plucking to droning, looped soundscapes. The track-names are identified only by the faces of the pair who play on the track.
In 2006, Joan Of Arc released a compilation of rarities entitled The Intelligent Design Of...
and also a new studio album entitled Eventually, All At Once
, a largely acoustic affair. The Many Times I've Mistaken
EP was released in 2007 followed by Boo! Human
in 2008 and Flowers
in 2009.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. They formed in 1995, following the breakup of Cap'n Jazz
Cap'n Jazz
Cap'n Jazz was an emo band formed in Chicago in 1989 by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella, who were joined by Sam Zurick and Victor Villareal. After a number of name changes and the addition of guitarist Davey von Bohlen the band began to earn a cult following in the Chicago area and the...
.
Singer Tim Kinsella
Tim Kinsella
Tim Kinsella is a musician from Chicago, Illinois. He has been a part of many bands including Cap'n Jazz, The Sky Corvair, Joan of Arc, Owls, Friend/Enemy, Everyoned, and Make Believe...
has been the only permanent member of the group; he has also recorded as a solo artist.
Joan of Arc are known for their use of electronics, samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, and multi-track recording in their songs; some songs on The Gap contained over 100 tracks.
Joan of Arc's lyrics and cover art are often intentionally misleading, humorous, or confusing. For example, the album Live in Chicago 1999 is not a live album, but a reference to the fact that the band lived in Chicago in the year 1999.
Members of Joan of Arc have been in many other bands including Friend/Enemy with Califone's
Califone
Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed....
Tim Rutili
Tim Rutili
Tim Rutili is a singer, guitarist, and keyboardist, and frontman/lyricist for the American rock band Califone. Originally from Chicago, Rutili now lives in Los Angeles. He was raised in Addison, IL. After moving into Chicago in 1988, he found success with the band Red Red Meat...
; American Football
American Football (band)
American Football was an indie rock band from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, active from 1997 to 2000. The band was formed by guitarist/bassist and singer Mike Kinsella and drummer Steve Lamos American Football was an indie rock band from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, active from 1997 to 2000. The band...
with Kinsella's brother Mike; Owls
Owls (band)
Owls was an emo indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, from 2001-2002. The band was formed by the original lineup of seminal experimental emo indie band Cap'n Jazz soon after its second breakup ; Cap'n Jazz guitarist Davey von Bohlen, who played in the band's second incarnation, had gone on to...
, a Cap'n Jazz reunion; Ghosts and Vodka; Everyoned, and most recently Make Believe
Make Believe (band)
Make Believe is an indie rock band, initially formed as a touring version of Joan of Arc. The band was initially composed of singer Tim Kinsella, guitarist Sam Zurick, bassist Bobby Burg, and drummer/keyboardist Nate Kinsella. After 3 months of touring as Joan Of Arc the quartet returned home and...
.
Biography
Joan of Arc began as a band named Red Blue Yellow. They broke up after their first show, threw away all of their old material, and started afresh- with new songs and a new name. Three months later, Joan of Arc had their first show at Autonomous Zone in Chicago. After two promising 7" singles, the band recorded their debut album A Portable Model Of... on the Jade Tree label.A Portable Model Of... introduced JOA's signature sound: a fondness for stark acoustic songs combined with subtle electronics. The debut album also included some harder material and collaborations with former Cap'n Jazz guitarist and The Promise Ring
The Promise Ring
The Promise Ring is an American emo band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In their early years, their music was usually classified as emo, but their later albums could be described more accurately as indie pop. They split up in 2002 and temporarily reunited in 2005...
singer Davey von Bohlen
Davey von Bohlen
Davey von Bohlen is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his roles as guitarist and vocalist in Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Vermont, and currently, Maritime...
and Euphone's Ryan Rhapsys, who would later drum for Owls following the departure of Mike Kinsella.
In 1998, Joan of Arc released How Memory Works. The album included what would become a hallmark of Joan Of Arc's subsequent output: interludes of synthetic noises cut with vocal samples and off-beat instrumentation. As always, Kinsella's lyrics were cryptic and oblique, though the song 'This Life Cumulative' made reference to the media alienation of singer/songwriter Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
.
Following the departure of Mike Kinsella, Erik Bocek, and the addition of Todd Mattei, Joan Of Arc found themselves thrust unwillingly into the spotlight by the sudden success of a Jade Tree retrospective by Kinsella's former band Cap'n Jazz. Despite being heralded as a pioneer of a diverse genre known as 'emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
' (a term rejected by Kinsella), Joan of Arc's next album was a reaction to this unwelcome classification. The songs on the album were slower and contained more spacious arrangements thanks to a newly found fondness for studio trickery. The album's artwork depicted recreated scenes from Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
's 1967 film Weekend. The release of Live in Chicago also marked the increasing media perception of Joan Of Arc as a 'difficult' band, an impression that would dog Kinsella in particular throughout the band's existence.
Negative critical reaction to Joan of Arc would become especially apparent after the release of The Gap in 2000. Completely eschewing past convention, JOA created one long ebbing piece of music, with only occasionally recognizable songs. This increasingly progressive studio-heavy approach- mostly of clattering, incidental percussion and background noise- found some favor among band loyalists, but baffled the music press. As a result, growing tensions within the group, indifference from their label, and a poorly-received follow-up EP led to Joan Of Arc's breakup.
Tim Kinsella then formed a group called Owls, a reincarnation of the original Cap'n Jazz lineup. After recording the album with Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
in 2001, the departure of Mike Kinsella and Victor Villareal led to the Owls' breakup. Left without a band once again, Tim Kinsella started working on songs for a solo album. After completing the album with help from Sam Zurich and Mike Kinsella, Tim Kinsella decided that since all three had played in Joan Of Arc, it should bear the name Joan of Arc. The album, much different from the conceptual madness of The Gap, instead consisted of guitar-driven tracks with journal-like observation from Tim Kinsella. Heralded as a return to form, So Much Staying Alive And Lovelessness
So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness
So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness is the fifth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2003 on Jade Tree Records. Initially envisioned as a double-album, tracks recorded during the same sessions as So Much... were instead released as In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust later that...
became the band's last on Jade Tree.
Later that year, Joan Of Arc released In Rape Fantasy And Terror Sex We Trust
In Rape Fantasy And Terror Sex We Trust
In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust is the sixth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2003 on Perishable Records. The songs were recorded in the same sessions as "So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness", and the album is thought to be something of a companion album to that record...
on Perishable Records
Perishable Records
Perishable Records is an independent record label founded by Chicago musicians Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili. Some artists include Califone, HiM, Joan of Arc, oRSo, Red Red Meat, and Fruit Bats....
, featured collaborations with Califone's
Califone
Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed....
Tim Rutili
Tim Rutili
Tim Rutili is a singer, guitarist, and keyboardist, and frontman/lyricist for the American rock band Califone. Originally from Chicago, Rutili now lives in Los Angeles. He was raised in Addison, IL. After moving into Chicago in 1988, he found success with the band Red Red Meat...
and Ben Massarella
Ben Massarella
Ben Massarella is a percussionist and drummer best known for his work with the American rock bands Califone and Red Red Meat. Massarella currently resides in Indiana....
, and was produced by Califone
Califone
Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed....
. Although the songs had been recorded during the same sessions as ...Lovelessness, they were darker and more collage-based. According to the website Allmusic, on In Rape Fantasy And Terror Sex We Trust
In Rape Fantasy And Terror Sex We Trust
In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust is the sixth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2003 on Perishable Records. The songs were recorded in the same sessions as "So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness", and the album is thought to be something of a companion album to that record...
"Joan of Arc...once more surpassed themselves as artists".
To tour the albums in 2003, Tim Kinsella organised a new lineup including Bobby Burg, Nate Kinsella (Tim's cousin) and Sam Zurich, who would also double as his side-project Make Believe
Make Believe (band)
Make Believe is an indie rock band, initially formed as a touring version of Joan of Arc. The band was initially composed of singer Tim Kinsella, guitarist Sam Zurick, bassist Bobby Burg, and drummer/keyboardist Nate Kinsella. After 3 months of touring as Joan Of Arc the quartet returned home and...
. After a live album recorded in Germany and a split EP with Bundini Brown (of Tortoise and Gastr Del Sol), the band assembled a huge team of collaborators for 2004's Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain
Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain
Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain is the seventh full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2004. It is their first for Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:# Questioning Benjamin Franklin's Ghost - 3:17# Apocalypse Politics - 2:22...
on Polyvinyl Records. This effort was largely well-regarded and a significant step forward for a new incarnation of Joan of Arc.
For the album Presents Guitar Duets
Presents Guitar Duets
Joan of Arc Presents: Guitar Duets is the eighth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2005 on Polyvinyl Records. The album consists of ten guitar duets, each featuring 2 past members of Joan of Arc, paired up by pulling names out of a hat...
(Polyvinyl Records), Tim Kinsella rounded up ten former members of Joan Of Arc and others like Tim Rutili
Tim Rutili
Tim Rutili is a singer, guitarist, and keyboardist, and frontman/lyricist for the American rock band Califone. Originally from Chicago, Rutili now lives in Los Angeles. He was raised in Addison, IL. After moving into Chicago in 1988, he found success with the band Red Red Meat...
. Each was paired off with a partner by pulling names from a hat. Each pair then had to record a guitar duet together, and the styles vary from standard acoustic plucking to droning, looped soundscapes. The track-names are identified only by the faces of the pair who play on the track.
In 2006, Joan Of Arc released a compilation of rarities entitled The Intelligent Design Of...
The Intelligent Design Of...
The Intelligent Design Of Joan of Arc is the ninth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2006 on Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:# Didactic Prom# Please Sleep# Trial At New Orleans# Busy Bus, Sunny Sun# Stemingway and Heinbeck...
and also a new studio album entitled Eventually, All At Once
Eventually, All at Once
Eventually, All At Once is the tenth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2006 on Record Label Records. It was recorded at the home of Donna Kinsella in Buffalo Grove, IL.-Track listing:# Eventually, All At Once - 3:19...
, a largely acoustic affair. The Many Times I've Mistaken
Many Times I've Mistaken
Many Times I've Mistaken is a two track 7" by Joan of Arc released in 2007 by Polyvinyl Record Co. The two songs recorded are studio recordings of the live versions of songs released on their previous album, Eventually, All at Once....
EP was released in 2007 followed by Boo! Human
Boo! Human
Boo! Human is the eleventh full-length studio album by Joan of Arc released in 2008 on Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:# "Shown and Told" – 3:22# "Laughter Reflected Back" – 2:44# "Just Pack or Unpack" – 5:09# "9/11 2" – 1:19...
in 2008 and Flowers
Flowers (Joan of Arc album)
Flowers is the twelfth full-length studio album by Joan of Arc released in 2009 on Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:# Fogbow - 4:07# The Garden of Cartoon Exclamations - 5:05# Flowers - 6:38# Fasting - 2:10# Explain Yourselves #2# Tsunshine - 6:04...
in 2009.
Albums
- A Portable Model Of... (1997)
- How Memory WorksHow Memory Works (Album)How Memory Works is the second full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 1998 on Jade Tree Records. The artwork of the album suggests that it is something of a companion to the debut album, A Portable Model Of...: the booklets for both records contain the phrase "a portable model of.....
(1998) - Live in Chicago, 1999Live in Chicago, 1999Live In Chicago, 1999 is the third full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 1999 on Jade Tree Records. It is not an album of live material, but is rather named after the fact that the band members lived in Chicago in the year 1999.-Track listing:...
(1999) - The Gap (2000)
- So Much Staying Alive and LovelessnessSo Much Staying Alive and LovelessnessSo Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness is the fifth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2003 on Jade Tree Records. Initially envisioned as a double-album, tracks recorded during the same sessions as So Much... were instead released as In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust later that...
(2003) - In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We TrustIn Rape Fantasy And Terror Sex We TrustIn Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust is the sixth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2003 on Perishable Records. The songs were recorded in the same sessions as "So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness", and the album is thought to be something of a companion album to that record...
(2003) - Live in Muenster, 2003Live In Muenster, 2003Live In Muenster, 2003 is a live album by Joan of Arc. It was released in 2003 on Record Label Records. Unlike the similarly titled Live In Chicago, 1999, this album actually is a live recording, in Muenster, Germany, in the year 2003.-Track listing:...
(2004) - Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark TwainJoan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark TwainJoan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain is the seventh full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2004. It is their first for Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:# Questioning Benjamin Franklin's Ghost - 3:17# Apocalypse Politics - 2:22...
(2004) - Presents Guitar DuetsPresents Guitar DuetsJoan of Arc Presents: Guitar Duets is the eighth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2005 on Polyvinyl Records. The album consists of ten guitar duets, each featuring 2 past members of Joan of Arc, paired up by pulling names out of a hat...
(2005) - The Intelligent Design Of...The Intelligent Design Of...The Intelligent Design Of Joan of Arc is the ninth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2006 on Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:# Didactic Prom# Please Sleep# Trial At New Orleans# Busy Bus, Sunny Sun# Stemingway and Heinbeck...
(2006) - Eventually, All at OnceEventually, All at OnceEventually, All At Once is the tenth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2006 on Record Label Records. It was recorded at the home of Donna Kinsella in Buffalo Grove, IL.-Track listing:# Eventually, All At Once - 3:19...
(2006) - Orchard Vale (2007)
- Boo! HumanBoo! HumanBoo! Human is the eleventh full-length studio album by Joan of Arc released in 2008 on Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:# "Shown and Told" – 3:22# "Laughter Reflected Back" – 2:44# "Just Pack or Unpack" – 5:09# "9/11 2" – 1:19...
(2008) - FlowersFlowers (Joan of Arc album)Flowers is the twelfth full-length studio album by Joan of Arc released in 2009 on Polyvinyl Records.-Track listing:# Fogbow - 4:07# The Garden of Cartoon Exclamations - 5:05# Flowers - 6:38# Fasting - 2:10# Explain Yourselves #2# Tsunshine - 6:04...
(2009) - Oh Brother (2011)
- Life LikeLife Like (Joan of Arc album)Life Like is the fourteenth full-length studio album by Joan of Arc released in 2011 on Polyvinyl Records. It is also the first Joan of Arc album to feature former Cap'n Jazz guitarist, Victor Villarreal.-Track listing:...
(2011)
EPs
- How Can Any Thing So Little Be Any More?How Can Any Thing So Little Be Any More?How Can Any Thing So Little Be Any More? EP is an EP by Joan of Arc, released in 2001 on Jade Tree Records. It contains tracks recorded during sessions for The Gap...
(2001) - Many Times I've MistakenMany Times I've MistakenMany Times I've Mistaken is a two track 7" by Joan of Arc released in 2007 by Polyvinyl Record Co. The two songs recorded are studio recordings of the live versions of songs released on their previous album, Eventually, All at Once....
(2007)
7"/Singles/Splits
- Method And Sentiment 7" (1996)
- Busy Bus/Sunny Sun 7" (1997)
- Rabbit Rabbit Split 7" (2003)
- Bundini Brown Split 12" (2004)
- Meaningful Work 7" (2010)
External links
- Joan of Arc's current website
- Joan of Arc on ArtistDirect
- Joan of Arc Pictures - Taken from a show at Great Scott in Allston, MA, 2006.