REVIEW : Vacancy - Slacker.com

Despite its bleak artwork and song titles like "Prison" and "Bed of Nails," Joseph Arthur's second album, Vacancy, features textured folk and country-tinged rock that falls somewhere between Beck's more reflective songs and Sparklehorse's more upbeat moments. Arthur's whispery, laconic vocals dominate confessional songs like "Toxic Angel," "Hang Around Here," and "Making Mistakes," and the songs' eclectic arrangements -- which include drum loops, keyboards, harmonica, and honky-tonk piano -- add to Vacancy's evocative, heartfelt yet experimental tone.

 ~ Heather Phares