Arc - Everything Everything
Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Feb 11, 2013
    90
    Everything Everything have their cake and they’re eating it too--Arc proves that they can keep their zany shade of indie and still be taken very seriously.
  2. musicOMH.com
    Feb 1, 2013
    90
    There’s neither swag nor swagger here, just talent and a single-minded creative vision worth every gasping breath it takes to keep up with.
  3. The Fly (UK)
    Jan 9, 2013
    90
    It's really bloody good.
  4. Mixmag
    Feb 12, 2013
    80
    Everything Everything hit their targets with aplomb.
  5. Q Magazine
    Jan 24, 2013
    80
    Arc is a missive from the heart as well as the head. [Feb 2013, p.100]
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  6. Mojo
    Jan 18, 2013
    80
    Fractured but never broken, Arc takes chaos and crunches it into a satisfying and surprising whole. [Feb 2013, p.92]
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  7. New Musical Express (NME)
    Jan 15, 2013
    80
    Slowly but surely, they are moving towards something extraordinary.
  8. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Jan 14, 2013
    80
    Arc is built with daytime radio in mind as much as the indie disco.
  9. The Observer (UK)
    Jan 14, 2013
    80
    Another tour de force.
  10. Drowned In Sound
    Jan 9, 2013
    80
    Arc is an album with which deep engagement will reward and delight in equal measure.
  11. Clash Music
    Jan 9, 2013
    80
    It is the sound of a band working out what they are good at and turning the quality control up to eleven.
  12. This Is Fake DIY
    Jan 9, 2013
    80
    Arc sees a stripped-back, 'more accessible' band.
  13. Pitchfork
    Jan 17, 2013
    76
    The way that Everything Everything play against the macho, aggressive posturing of contemporaries who could care less about caring should be their strongest calling card.
  14. Fact Magazine (UK)
    Jan 15, 2013
    70
    While certainly not the most sincere album around, nevertheless there is ingrained in its tireless activity a genuine passion to fight the loneliness of intelligence, of neurotic shyness--to fight an inability to connect with people, that condition exacerbated in the era of social media.
  15. BBC Music
    Jan 9, 2013
    70
    There are songs here that comprise bite-size fragments of multifarious melodies, drawing on myriad influences. But there are also tracks that sustain one tune and tempo over the duration, where previously only three or four would do.
  16. The Guardian
    Jan 10, 2013
    60
    Inevitably, Arc lacks coherence; it's the sound of a band working out who they want to be.
  17. No Ripcord
    Jan 18, 2013
    50
    It feels churlish to criticise Everything Everything for trying different things, but all too often their efforts feel like lightweight flirtations with a style rather than committed explorations.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. madpistol
    8
    Everything Everything's first album "Man Alive" was easily my favorite album of all time. They exhibited a quirkiness that few bands ever attempt (and even fewer pull off), but at the same time, they showed a masterful attention to detail that gave the listeners something unique at the very least and downright enjoyable for many. It was a fresh approach to the some times stale and off putting genre of alt rock that we hear all too often.

    With "Arc", the band's second foray into music-dom, I'm left scratching my head. The album feels like it's made up of two parts; the part before the track "_Arc_" and everything after. The first half feels like a combination of pop riffs and musical styles that can only be described as pseudo-mainstream. The good news is that I can still hear the original and quirky Everything Everything sound, but the structure of each song has taken a decided turn towards Alt rock. While I don't think this is a bad thing (and it is necessary if they want to make themselves more appealing to the masses), this isn't the Everything Everything that I fell in love with on "Man Alive" with tracks such as "MY KZ, UR BF" or "Photoshop Handsome". I can't help but feel a track like "Feet For Hands" would feel right at home on a MUSE album, or perhaps "Duet" feels a little bit like they took a note out of Coldplay's song dictionary. The first half of the album is a nod towards the more popular end of the genre, and while it does feel necessary, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

    The second half of the album is a turn around, though. "Armourland" takes Everything Everything back to their roots with a disjointed set of riffs tied together with a beautiful chorus line and accompanied by Jonathan's haunting electric keyboard-synth. "The House is Dust" has a very mid-2000's Radiohead feel, which is great in my book; creating a sound that is similar to a band that walks the fine line of mainstream and indie that has made it big is not a bad thing at all. The album wraps up with a joyous jaunt in the form of "Don't Try", which again almost feels like a combination of the first and second halves of the album; it's a decided nod towards the pop end of the spectrum (I can name 4 different bands that probably influenced this song), but it's still uniquely Everything Everything. It's also a lot of fun to listen to.


    I maintain that their first album, "Man Alive" is still my favorite album of all time. Everything Everything took a risk with it and still managed to pull off a style that is very unique. It felt like very few parts of that album took ques from other artists; the sound was all new and fresh. Their second adventure "Arc" feels like Everything Everything is making a bid towards the pop-end of the spectrum. The fortunate part is that it feels like they were largely successful... but in the process they lost some of the charm that made them unique. It's a good album, it really is. However, I still like the first one better.

    7/10 - recommended listen    … Full Review »
  2. callen85
    3
    I was pretty stoked a little while back when I found out that Everything Everything had a new album out. Man Alive started by 2010's off on a very high note from the start, so my expectations were through the roof with this one. However, when I finally got my hands on Arc, I popped it in and had to force myself through the album, hoping for that one track that redeemed the rest...it never happened. I completely realize that a band's second album is a chance to branch out and try to further explore their style, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the tracks on Arc did the exact opposite. On Man Alive, there were so many wonderful melodies, rich harmonies, slick grooves that sucked you into each song, and just overall very good musicianship. On Arc, it felt like all of that creative energy sucked inward and was kept so subtle and hidden that it was barely recognizable. There were times I felt like I was just listening to some run-of-the-mill pop band, and that did not make me happy. The lyrics had some depth, I'll give it that, but the instrumentation wasn't there to complement or back it up. Not even close. Overprocessed, too many effects, Jonathan stuck in his falsetto for so long that it lost its appeal, there were none of those oh-so-special basslines that got my jollies off before, nothing special that popped out and grabbed me by the ears and wouldn't let go until I absolutely loved it, and there was no pick-me-up from the long, mid-tempo dirge that the album became by the last track. I felt like they took everything (everything) that made their debut album great, and chucked it out the window. Perhaps it was due to the lack of Alex Niven's influence via his understanding of what makes good music, maybe it was something else, but where the first album had everything, this second album lacks everything. It makes me sad.… Full Review »
  3. DanB
    10
    Everything Everything's first album, whilst full of promise was a little higgledy piggledy. This sounds like them finding a more concentrated, perhaps efficient sound. There's less ephemera on Arc, and it feels like the album really benefits as a consequence. Excellent.… Full Review »
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