So far it feels like ii offers the most complete experience as a single album.
While KICK ii does play with reggaeton on experimental and apocalyptic cuts like ‘Prada’ and ‘Rakata’, the genre is one of many styles that the producer deforms.
Even at her most accessible, Arca refuses to paint from a predictable palette. But for all her experimentation and chaotic tangents, it is clear in KICK ii that she is acutely aware of the balance necessary to build a bop.
While KiCk i could be seen as deconstructed club music, KiCK ii is deconstructed reggaeton. A great idea (see DJ Python), but it makes for some of the least interesting music of the whole collection.
KiCK ii dives deeper within the experimental reggaeton pop intersection Arca developed on the first installment of the series.
‘ii’ draws heavily on reggaetón, before warping its rhythms with menacing washes of synthesiser, and wonky vocal manipulation.
The onslaught of music masks how well KICK ii refines KiCk i’s chaotic, free-flying spirit into something smoother and more muted.
NO NUANCE REVIEW
Solid stuff, but it honestly just feels like a deluxe version of KICK i and doesn’t really rise above its predecessor’s best moments. Entertaining sequel if not completely necessary, and Arca is still one of the only artists who make reggaeton that I would listen to for my own enjoyment.
85 >>> 77
Decidi re-escutar os KiCKs. E infelizmente, acho que hypei demais esse álbum. Ele é bom, mas ele é muito inconsistente no que ele deseja fazer. Ele começa com uma visão muito voltada para o neoperreo/reggaeton e, particularmente, essa primeira metade do álbum é muito boa e vale a pena escutar. Mas a partir de "Araña", o álbum toma um outro rumo e começa a ficar mais parecido com trabalhos antigos ... read more
I misunderstood this record for a long time after hearing it once. I set it aside and thought of it as Arca’s most “boring” album and I was completely wrong. There is a reason why it is Arca’s most popular. The enigmatic reggaeton dance of tracks grew a whole lot on me until I realized how amazing they were. The more experimental tracks like Araña and Confianza are also amazing. Just about everything leading up to Born Yesterday and Andro is phenomenal, but the ... read more
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