Virginia Wing - Ecstatic Arrow (2018)

Virginia Wing – Ecstatic Arrow

Ecstatic Arrow begins with “Be Released,” a track that seemingly begins in medias res, the spiraling chiming motif circling back on itself as if the album had been doing so several times before you pressed play. The album toys with this sense of perpetuity several times throughout the record, playing down the distinct change this release marks for Alice Merida Richards and company. Virginia Wing’s newest entry shows a major development for the band, one that is a more mature, thought provoking entry then anything already in their catalog. Evolving from the amateurish but charming experimentation on the first two albums Measures of Joy and Forward Constant Motion, Ecstatic Arrow provides a similar blueprint for the sound, but with significantly more confidence. Virginia Wing had already improved on their ambition with 2017’s Tomorrow’s Gift but this time their album proves to be much more immediate. On the former album’s leadoff track, the band showcased the twenty minute “Birch Polygon,” a cut that true to form included twisted synthesized wails and howling winds over short spoken word passages, until horn flourishes begin to drive the ambiance. “Birch Polygon” sets the tone for Tomorrow’s Gift, a lavish and indulgent piece of psychedelia. It is interesting, and after the first track, pares itself down and becomes more digestible, but it hides its more arresting moments deep in the album. Ecstatic Arrow conversely provides immediate synth pop respite. It provides its most accessible singles upfront and only by the last three or four tracks begins to deviate. More than that though, it is consistent. Lyrically the album is a series of feminist anthems, a clear product of the Me Too/Trump era, and a decision that helps bind the albums individual moments together better than the cohesion of the music. Ecstatic Arrow will remind you of the best of Lykke Li and Wye Oak; inescapable synth pop ear worms that only after several listens begin to shake off their dirt.

Be Released –Virginia Wing prove their worth with this immense, flexing leadoff track. A twisting, vaguely middle-eastern chiming begins simply enough, but quickly the song transforms into a pulsing rave-up to set the tone for the record. The chorus clears the added flair to give extra weight to Alice Merida Richard’s specific words; “Progress is slow, but it will be easier.”

The Second Shift – Keeping the movements upbeat and fun, "The Second Shift" provides the poppiest and most danceable track here, definitely the most fun Virginia Wing has given us as a band. “I know the key, it’s written in my own body”, is the kind of feminist mantra you could get Jordan Peterson to chant after a couple listens.

Glorious Idea – They try to navigate a house like drum pattern to diminishing results, that is until the triumphant chorus hits and Richard’s voice layers against her mutterings of:  “Here is what you want.” Almost as if she had been restraining herself as long as possible.

Relativity – Breaking down the formula further, this song is stripped back to fluttering effects, balanced by Richard’s vocals. A natural respite after “Glorious Idea” The strung together lyrics become the clearest on the album so far, punctuated only by the buoyant synths.

For Every Window There’s a Curtain – Wailing synths sounds off against a quiet kick drum, as Richard’s muses about a lost connection and the relationships between the cosmos. A very meditative relief from the earlier chaos.

The Female Genius - A prime example of Ecstatic Arrow’s agenda, Richards hides her feminine expose, behind a Nico or Cate Le Bon exoticism and a gentle marching beat, purposely masking the importance of her words.

Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day – A slow building love song that turns its back half way through. The song gathers cascading effects that sound like the inside of a kaleidoscope before they begin to coalesce into something distinctly not random. The song slowly climbs until those effects melt away and Richards begins speaking about being tired and choosing to live her life, before the kick drum drives through the chorus.

A Sister – The song marches forward built mainly on the sweet ode to sisterly love, but ends unfortunately with an extended outro that only distracts from the following track.

Pale Burnt Lake – Richards details the different moments throughout this song that will soon be gone, each instance punctuated by a resounding “no” along the gurgling synths. Those synths build the base, as well as the atmosphere of the convulsing track and by the end “to begin again like nothing came before” feels more like she is discarding the previous album, and the band’s previous history in general, than just the ideas listed. Pale Burnt Lake epitomizes what this album represents, a new beginning.

Seasons Reversed – This does feel somewhat different that the previous tracks, potentially for its run time of over 5 minutes, “Season’s Reversed” acts on the previous songs, newly rebellious tone and details the triumph of becoming the band Virginia Wing has now become. Distinctly, this album does not feel like a closing track, but one that is waiting for the next track to begin.
~8.5