REVIEW : The Graduation Ceremony - Montreal Gazette

by Jordan Zivitz

Note : 4 of 5 stars

About a minute into Midwest, a jangly kiss-off to a deadening town where "there's nothing to do . but dream," there's a sharp whistle of feedback that could wake up Akron, Ohio. 

On most of Joseph Arthur's albums, the fleeting squall would barely register, but here it's a jolt amid his uncommon restraint. Arthur has a greater grasp of quality control than the wildly productive multidisciplinary artist is given credit for; still, The Graduation Ceremony is remarkable for its focus, and for being the most delicate gem in a catalogue brimming with spiritual torment. 

The absence of the Lonely Astronauts, Arthur's frequent collaborators of the last few years, means an absence of swagger; in its place is a renewed tenderness that's as powerful as the most malevolent fury Arthur has conjured in the past. 

Podworthy: Out on a Limb