Name: Arco EP
Brand: AA Williams

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

BELLA1245VN

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Colour

blue

Colour details

Galaxy Teal

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Discogs ID

Discs

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

140 Gram Vinyl with Inner Sleeve.

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Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-08-19

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

PIAS

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

5400863074111

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1 / 12" / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / blue

BELLA1245V

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purple

Galaxy White Purple

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Download code: Yes

Extended format: Yes

140 Gram Vinyl. With Signed Print.

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2021-10-29

Signed copies: Yes

5400863050979

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1 / 12" / Extended format: Yes / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: Yes / purple

BELLA1245CD

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5400863055578

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

AA Williams

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Bella Union

Making her stage debut in April 2019 and selling out her first headline show at London’s prestigious Southbank Centre less than a year later, AA Williams hit the ground running. Similarly, the acclaim for her performances and her music has been unanimous from the start. After one self-titled EP and a collaboration with Japanese post-rockers Mono, the London-based singer-songwriter signed to Bella Union and released her stunning debut album, Forever Blue, in July 2020.

That Southbank show would prove to be the last time she would take to the stage for a long while as the world struggled to cope with unforeseen and extreme challenges. Never a musician to sit still, the classically trained multi-instrumentalist focused her creativity on arranging - firstly, by stripping back to the most delicate bones on her Songs from Isolation covers record, and now with a complete reimagining of her own material as the four songs from her debut EP become Arco.

Not many musicians have the ability - or indeed bravery - to rework a collection of their own full band 'rock' songs into a string-and-voice arrangement. AA Williams, however, is not like many musicians and the minimalism of Arvo Pärt and Gorecki has long since sat beside Vaughan Williams' folk-inspired classical work as important influences on her music. Indeed, the intention with the EP was for Williams to challenge herself by not retaining guitars and drums, meaning arco had to be truly reimagined with a full string ensemble. As Williams describes it:

"The main focus of the arrangements is trying to maintain the authenticity of the original songs that, whilst embodying some of the more familiar elements of the full-band settings, draws focus on the voice."

Conducting the ensemble of string musicians in the studio, AA Williams has evolved her own compositions with new instrumentation and arrangements, encapsulating the singular vision of a unique artist.