Review:
The bright and vivid artwork accompanying this mini album from leftfield hip-hop instrumentalists Arca suggests that Stretch 2 will be equally bold and kaleidoscopic. Musically, it's certainly bold, delivering a series of short instrumentals and beatsy doodles that take the hip-hop template and twist it beyond all recognition. The beats are loose, the synths woozy and the vocal samples bizarre, giving the whole thing a dream-like feel (this is particularly true of the beautiful "Maiden Voyage", intoxicating "Meditation" and crystalline "Manners"). For the most part, it's an approach that handsomely pays dividends, offering a set that bristles with interesting ideas and even more interesting sounds.