| A Portable Model Of | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 6, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | December 1996 – March 1997 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Emo [1] | |||
| Length | 41:18 | |||
| Label | Jade Tree | |||
| Joan of Arc chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
A Portable Model of is the first full-length studio album by Joan of Arc, released in June 1997 on Jade Tree Records. [2]
Joan of Arc descended from the influential emo band Cap'n Jazz. In a 2017 interview, frontman Tim Kinsella remarked "When the first Joan of Arc record came out [1997’s A Portable Model Of ] all the emo people hated us. While we were in Cap’n Jazz, we were like, ‘Man, these emo bands fucking suck! What is this bullshit?’ We just couldn’t relate. Joan of Arc started as a self-conscious distancing from what we had been associated with. It’s very weird now that those early Joan of Arc records historically get included as part of that movement." [3]
A Portable Model Of was recorded between December 1996 and March 1997; sessions were split between Elliot's Loft and Idful Music. At the former, Elliot Dicks and the band recorded and mixed half of the album, while Casey Rice recorded and mixed the remainder. D Singer did editing at Dance Hall Classikx, before the album was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New Jersey. [4]
Blake Butler of AllMusic gave A Portable Model Of three stars, claiming that it "consists mainly of interesting and calm instrumentation, odd sounds and effects, and the sometimes heavenly, sometimes over-the-edge vocals of Tim Kinsella." He goes on to write "Most people will either fall in love immediately with this album, or find it hideous." [2]
In 2017, Vice included the album as part of their "1997: The Year Emo Broke" series of retrospective articles. They state "The album opens with "I Love a Woman (Who Loves Me)," a simple acoustronic track that sets the tone for what Kinsella and company try to accomplish throughout the album—sparse yet intersecting guitar work with the occasional electronic programming, coupled with analytical yet earnest lyrics. The relaxed pace and toned-down fervor was a divergence from Cap'n Jazz's blunt approach, but instead of forging an entirely new beginning, A Portable Model Of… played like an enlightened version of Cap'n Jazz." [5]
All music by Joan of Arc, all words by Tim Kinsella. [4]
Personnel per booklet. [4]
Joan of Arc
Additional musicians
| Production and design
|
Jade Tree International, Inc. is an independent record label formed by Darren Walters and Tim Owen in 1990 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Joan of Arc was an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois named after the French saint Joan of Arc. They formed in 1995, following the breakup of Cap'n Jazz.
The Promise Ring was an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that is recognized as part of the second wave of emo. Among various other EPs and singles, the band released four studio albums during their initial run: 30° Everywhere (1996), Nothing Feels Good (1997), Very Emergency (1999), and Wood/Water (2002). Their first two albums solidified their place among the emo scene; their third effort shifted toward pop music, while their final record was much more experimental in nature. The band initially broke up in 2002 and has reunited sporadically since then to perform live, but no new material from the band has since been released. They were last active for a live performance in 2016.
Cap'n Jazz was an American emo band formed in Chicago in 1989 by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella, who were joined by Sam Zurick and Victor Villarreal. After a number of name changes and the addition of guitarist Davey von Bohlen, the band began to earn a cult following in the Chicago area and the Midwest.
Owen is a solo project of Mike Kinsella, and part of the Chicago, Illinois indie rock scene.
Owls are an indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. They were initially active from 2001 to 2002 and reunited in 2012. The band is composed of the original lineup of the emo band Cap'n Jazz excluding guitarist Davey von Bohlen, who had left to form The Promise Ring. The lineup has included brothers Tim Kinsella and Mike Kinsella, guitarist Victor Villareal and bassist Sam Zurick. Tim Kinsella and Zurick have also played together in Joan of Arc and Make Believe. Villarreal and Zurick played together in the instrumental rock group Ghosts and Vodka. The band signed to Jade Tree on May 3, 2001, and released their debut on July 31.
American Football is an American indie band from Urbana, Illinois, originally active from 1997 until 2000. They reformed in 2014.
Tim Kinsella is an American musician, author, and film director from Chicago, Illinois.
30° Everywhere is the debut studio album by American rock band the Promise Ring. It was released in 1996 on Jade Tree.
Nothing Feels Good is the second studio album by American rock band the Promise Ring, released on October 14, 1997. The album has gained a cult following, and is frequently regarded as one of the most influential records of the emo genre. The title of the album was used as the name of the book Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo by Andy Greenwald. Original bass player Scott Beschta is credited with writing and playing all the bass parts for the album, although he had been fired by the time the album was released.
Very Emergency is the third studio album by American rock band the Promise Ring, released on September 28, 1999 through the label Jade Tree. Following the release of their second studio album Nothing Feels Good (1997), bassist Scott Beschta was replaced by Tim Burton. After a van accident, which resulted in a six-week break, Burton was replaced by Scott Schoenbeck. The band recorded their next album at Inner Ear Studios in Washington, D.C., co-producing it with J. Robbins. Very Emergency is a power pop and pop rock album that moves away from the emo style of their earlier works. It continued the sound of the Boys + Girls (1998) EP, and was compared to the work of the Lemonheads, the Pixies, Soul Asylum and the Wedding Present.
Mike Kinsella is an American musician and singer-songwriter. Having been involved in many Illinois-based bands, he is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the emo band American Football.
Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped On and Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over is the only full-length studio album by the American emo band Cap'n Jazz, released in 1995 on Man With Gun Records. It is also referred to as the Shmap'n Shmazz LP. For a long period of time, the record in its original form was completely out of print—only recently has it been reissued on Polyvinyl Records on cassette tape and digitally. There was also a reissue of the vinyl LP licensed by Tiny Superhero records in the UK.
How Memory Works is the second full-length album by the American band Joan of Arc. It was released in 1998 on Jade Tree Records. The artwork of the album suggests that it is something of a companion to the debut album, A Portable Model Of...: the booklets for both records contain the phrase "a portable model of... how memory works."
Live in Chicago, 1999 is an album by Joan of Arc, released in 1999. It is not an album of live material, but is rather named after the fact that the band members lived in Chicago in the year 1999.
Davey von Bohlen is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known for serving as lead vocalist and guitarist of the emo band The Promise Ring and also as guitarist and backing vocalist in short-lived cult band Cap'n Jazz originally from 1993 to 1995.
Ghosts and Vodka was an American instrumental math rock band from Chicago. The band was made up of two guitarists, Victor Villareal, and Sam Zurick, bassist Erik Bocek, and drummer Scott Shellhamer.
Owls is the debut studio album by American rock band Owls, which was released on July 31, 2001, through Jade Tree. After the disbandment of Joan of Arc, frontman Tim Kinsella reunited with the former members of Cap'n Jazz to form Owls. They recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois, in April 2001. The album is an emo and indie rock record that has been compared with the works of Ghosts and Vodka, Pavement, and Captain Beefheart.
American Football, also known retrospectively as LP1, is the debut studio album by American Midwest emo band of the same name, released on September 14, 1999, through Polyvinyl. It was recorded shortly after the band released their debut self-titled EP through Polyvinyl in October 1998. The group, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Mike Kinsella, guitarist Steve Holmes, and drummer Steve Lamos, recorded their debut album at Private Studios in Urbana, Illinois, with production from Brendan Gamble.
Victor Villarreal is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his role as guitarist in Cap'n Jazz, Owls and Joan of Arc. His music incorporates elements of classical, indie and emo, and contains surreal guitar solos and instrumentals.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)