A Portable Model Of...

Joan of Arc were formed out of the ashes of 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]

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."[4]

1. "I Love A Woman (Who Loves Me)" – 1:59
2. "The Hands" – 2:44
3. "Anne Aviary" – 5:24
4. "Let's Wrestle" – 2:41
5. "Romulans!Romulans!" – 1:28
6. "Post Coitus Rock" – 3:20
7. "Count To A Thousand" – 8:15
8. "How Wheeling Feels" – 4:08
9. "In Pompeii" – 1:37
10. "Caliban" – 3:05
11. "In Pamplona" – 1:52
12. "I Was Born" – 1:08
13. "(I Love A Woman) Who Loves Me" – 3:37

• Tim Kinsella – Guitar, Drums
• Jeremy Boyle – Guitar
• Eric Bocek – Guitar
• Sam Zurick – Bass Guitar
• Mike Kinsella – Guitar on 4, 10; drums on 2, 3, 10
• Ann-Marie Rounkle – Vocals on 2
• Ryan Rapsys Drums on 6, 8, 12
• Jay Gabarck – Guitar on 3
• Davey von Bohlen – Vocals on 6
• Nathaniel Braddock – Effectron on 7
• Azita Yousefi – "Explain water to the Fish"