One small confession: I did not come up with the title for this piece on my own,  that honor goes to singer-songwriter Ben Gibbard.  I was high-school the first time I got wind of a new EP his band had released.  Sandwiched between appropriately angst-ridden and feaux artsy lyrics (a winning combination with the coveted suburban teenage record-buying demographic) was this little gem that has stayed with me.  The full line is ...the answers are in the arches of the 20th century towers and in comfortable cars in motion.  It’s definitely meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and it’s unclear whether these arches are meant to be giant sky-scrapers, corporate headquarters, or McDonalds franchises. 
            But, for me {{{The Answers are in the Arches}}} is the perfect title for this piece.  The Ben Gibbard quote conjures up images of a glittering larger-than-life metropolis, and the piece tries to do the same.  It begins with a series of 3 quick gestures, each followed by spacious held chords, under which the main motive creeps in, very uneventfully at first.  These are the first building blocks of the city, the first ‘arches’, towers, or buildings to get erected.  The building process starts slowly…each gesture is followed by space for careful reflection, meditation and examination.  Eventually the pace quickens and takes off…buildings are going up as fast as possible, cars are zipping around on giant concrete ribbons, and the instruments are each vying for their chance to be heard in the frenetic energy.  At the end of  the piece, it’s up to the listener to decide whether the ‘arches’ come tumbling down in a chaotic crash, or whether it’s all just part of the frenzied city speeding along.