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Circe Link & Christian Nesmith — Arcana
(Bandcamp Think Like a Key TLAK1191, 2024, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-03-31

Arcana Cover art

I’ve lost count of how many albums I’ve heard that use Tarot cards as a theme or concept. Just recently we had one from Anders Buaas, and you can go back to the early 70s with Walter Wegmüller, with dozens of examples in between. There might actually be a comparable number of Tarot-themed albums as there are Tolkien-themed. My interest in these cards is minimal, as I ascribe only psychological validity to them, nothing supernatural — they’re an interesting artifact from European culture. Be that as it may, a Tarot-themed album can contain great music, as is the case with this new album by the duo of Circe Link and Christian Nesmith. These five tracks run up to just under an hour of tasty progressive rock, and while it’s clearly inspired by the classic albums of Yes and Genesis, they bring their own sensibilities to the table, as well as just the right touches of more modern styles. Link has a great voice, clear and free of flashy affectations, rather like a female version of Jon Anderson’s singing. There are also plenty of times where her voice is arranged into lovely choruses of harmonies and countermelodies, sometimes with a folkish flavor, sometimes taking more from the kinds of interactions we used to hear between Anderson and Chris Squire in Yes. In addition to the stellar vocal work, the instrumental parts are outstanding, with much of it contributed by Nesmith, with help from guests Christopher Allis on drums and extra keyboards from Matt Brown on one track. There are delicious layers of guitars, both electric and acoustic, relying heavily on a short-scale 12-string that has a beautiful bright tone. You might occasionally flash on an early Jon Anderson solo album, along with touches of Anthony Phillips, and I find it’s the bright timbre of the acoustic instruments that really hooks me. Nesmith’s bass work is also notable, with a definite Squire sound to it, and there are tasty keyboards everywhere. Arcana is the sixteenth release of Link and Nesmith, and it’s good enough that I had to investigate some of the previous albums. I haven’t got through all of them, but I’ve yet to find anything that wasn’t good. This is truly a special find, and sure to remain a favorite for years to come.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Circe Link & Christian Nesmith

More info
http://circelink.bandcamp.com/album/arcana

 

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