Album Review: Moon Saloon by Arc Iris

Art-pop power trio Arc Iris show little regard for painting within the lines on their ambitious sophomore LP, Moon Saloon. The lingering tones of Americana that marked their impressive 2014 debut have all but vanished in the wash of celestial dream-folk and intricately fashioned prog-pop that bandleader Jocie Adams and her cohorts Zach Tenorio Miller and Ray Belli have cooked up. Fortunately, for the massive amount of ideas crammed into Moon Saloon, it remains a widely accessible and shockingly fun listen.

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This Rhode Island trio make a quiet splashdown on their second album. Former Low Anthem vocalist Jocie Adams remins front of house with her limpid tone and evocative lyrics the instant draw to a sound that incorporates elements of Air, Burt Bacharach and Beach Boys, with an original take on modern cosmic folk. The bedrock is solidly pop, in that the melodies and arrangements are paramount.

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For all its inventiveness using traditional Americana instrumentation, Arc Iris’ 2014 self-titled debut still was primarily that – traditional Americana, wrung through a number of early-mid 20th century musical genres. The album’s two-part “Honor Of The Rainbows” couplet was the lone patch where the band’s recorded material seemed to fit with its glittery psychedelic stage identity, and it’s from here that they springboard headlong into technicolour star-gazing of follow-up Moon Saloon. Lead track and single “Kaleidoscope” couldn’t be more representative of Arc Iris and their M.O.

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