Joan of Arc/Obnox/Soft Copy

After indie icon Cap’n Jazz split in the mid-90s, singer Tom Kinsella took part of the band and formed Joan of Arc. (You may remember the reference in our recent oral history of Speak In Tongues.) The band took the upbeat, danceable emo of Cap’n Jazz and fell gracefully into a more acoustic sense of being. With excellent textural use of electronics, Joan of Arc has always deftly crafted unique tunes. Kinsella is a gifted songwriter — and a humorous writer, too — and Joan of Arc’s stuff tends to be pretty heartfelt. While it’s fairly introspective music at times, which works well for headphones in the bedroom, etc., the band also succeeds onstage, where the more physical side of their craft comes into play. (Eric Sandy)