Soft blues, tangy melodies, stinging guitars and some crazy attitude ––the best way to describe the debut album Yours, Dreamily by the upcoming band The Arcs.
The Arcs are exploring a whole new side of blues and taking it to a new level. The band is the newest project of Dan Auerbach, who is famously known as the vocalist and guitarist of the duo band The Black Keys. Auerbach has taken on many projects aside from The Black Keys, such a producing a solo record as well as producing albums for Dr. John and Lana Del Rey. He announced his side projects with The Arcs in spring of 2015, and Yours, Dreamily was released on September 4, 2015. The band only took roughly two weeks to record the album in informal and spontaneous sessions. While their sound feels familiar, they differentiate their music with ambitious melodies and bring their listeners to a modern world with influences from the 70’s.
The album is a total of 46 minutes between 14 different songs; each individual song showcasing the creative collaboration of R&B, soul, and the blues. The Arcs is composed of artists from a number of different bands including Truth and Soul Records founder Leon Michels, Black Keys touring bassist Richard Swift, Menahan Street Band member Homer Steinweiss, Amy Winehouse collaborator Nick Movshon, guitarist Kenny Vaughan, plus the members of all-female mariachi band Mariachi Flor de Toloache. The number of different artists and varying styles explains the unique sound produced by the band.
The first lead single to be revealed was “Stay in my Corner” and then “Outta My Mind” this past June. However in regards to sound and style, no two songs on the album can be compared to each other. Each song ranges from a strong sense of R&B, jazz, sensuality, romance and sadness. With that being said, the topic of majority of the songs is romance and breakup. This theme is especially showcased in “Outta My Mind”, “Chains of Love” and “Stay in my Corner” with lyrics such as “I’ll fight for you / if you fight for me too.” In “Outta my Mind” it is suggested that this sadness and the breakup theme comes from the sacrifices he had to make to get to where he is now, with the line “I love the pictures on the wall / reminding me of what I lost to get it all.”
Take a listen to “Outta My Mind” for yourself:
As for my suggestions “Outta my Mind” is one of my favorites and my biggest recommendation if you’re a big fan of The Black Keys’ specific sound. If you’re into funky beats and different rifts in music, I suggest “Nature’s Child” and pay special attention to the beginning melodies and change in style throughout the song. As for the song that stood out most for being strange and interesting, I suggest “Come and Go.” As a whole, the album Yours, Dreamily is a very natural yet different blend of sound with ambitious lyrics. I recommend the album, which can be fully accessed on Spotify, to anyone who enjoys a refreshingly new version of the blues.
The Arcs – Yours, Dreamily Album Track List:
1. Once We Begin (Intro)2. Outta My Mind3. Put a Flower in Your Pocket4. Pistol Made of Bones5. Everything You Do (You Do for You)6. Stay in My Corner7. Cold Companion8. The Arc9. Nature’s Child10. Velvet Ditch11. Chains of Love12. Come & Go13. Rosie (Ooh La La)14. Searching the Blue