Stream: Archer Black, ‘Pins’

Kevin Bronson on July 25th, 2014

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Archer Black’s debut album “Forgiveness Is a Weapon” in early 2012 was a jaw-droppingly ambitious exercise in orchestral (and some might say post-) rock, with singer/composer Dustin Morgan (ex-the Autumns) conjuring up apocalyptic images with sprawling soundscapes. Archer Black’s new EP, out next week, is a no less extravagant production, but the music is more direct. Morgan conceived the songs during a four days in isolation at a cabin in Frazier Park, and recorded them with producer Mike Bennett of the Structure. Violinist Paul Cartwright, guitarist Madison Megna and cellist Matt Cooker return from Archer Black’s first-album orchestra, joined now by Crystal Alforque (violin), Molly Rogers (viola), Greg Zilboorg (trumpet), Tony Rinaldi (trombone) and Jan Ozveren (guitar). The single “Pins” stomps and stomps and then explodes, and “The Smoke” is as close to a rock radio anthem as we reckon Archer Black has come, its chorus cascading across sawed strings to a big finish. These new four songs may be flat-out stickier than anything on “Forgiveness,” but as they did on the debut, Archer Black continues to treat rock as a fine art.

||| Stream: “Pins”