Sometimes you hear a story and it’s just a load of whinging, while on other occasions the person or musicians telling the story have something to say and I feel a connection. I find I can make that distinction in progressive music. Arcane have certainly laid it on the line here with a monstrous sixteen track double concept album “Known – Learned”: as a title, very prog.
And it’s a consummate Prog album with unending twists and movements. The theme is of a family’s loss, love and journey. I picked that up on the way but “Known-Learned” defeated its own object in a way because I lost the theme as I became absorbed in the musical movements. It’s ok. It’s the soundscapes that matter and there’s a sensitivity and balance that gave me that interest and connection. From “Promise (Part 2)” onwards there’s energy, pent-up emotion and excitement. It lifted me above the mundane experience of the traffic jam I was sitting in when I first listened to it.
The first few tracks work between light and dark, in a way that is captivating but not exceptional. This is the world of Anathema, Dream Theater and Blackfield. “Womb (In Memoriam)” shakes things up. It is like a Celtic chant and skilfully Arcane take us into the explosive emotion of “Selfsame”, a memorable track with strong hints of modern Anathema in it. From this this series of progressive musical waves directs us towards the soft and delicate “Holding Atropos” and the big and epic “Keeping Stone: Sound on Fire”. But it’s all leading up to the twenty minute epic “Learned”. It is like a textbook of prog metal. It’s big, delicate, sharp, soft, fluid and dramatic before finally bringing us home. Hispanic twists make an appearance and the progression has elements of Opeth. But “prog” flows through the lifeline of this gargantuan track.
The second part “Learned” is softer than the first. Acoustic delicacy characterises “Hunter, Heart and Home”. Rising emotions emerge through constant soft patterns. The atmosphere of “Learned” is derived from the delicacy of the acoustic guitar, simple piano and soft vocals. In fact the vocals are haunting and dreamy, ingraining themselves in the brain subtly in the manner of Porcupine Tree or Haken.
“Known – Learned” is a highly accomplished work and perhaps suffers from the fact that through its progressions and movements it stands as a template in the world of prog music. Occasionally it reaches lofty heights and as a lengthy and enjoyable piece of escapism from traffic jams and everyday life in general, I recommend it.
(7.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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