REVIEW : Arthur Buck 2 - Qobuz
The first Arthur Buck album was very much a product of its time—a spontaneous and not quite fully-baked—reaction to the emotional intensity of 2018's political environment, made by two like-minded southern musicians who each evoke a distinctly quirky approach to "alternative" pop music.
Now, in a similarly (if not more so!) intense era, the duo have reconvened for an album, but this time, the politics seem to be more personal (love! mortality!) although the quirkiness remains.
Yes, Jacknife Lee produced this one, but not even Max Martin could twist Joseph Arthur and Peter Buck's resolute iconoclasm into anything but a pretty weird rock 'n' roll album.
Neither musician has anything to prove at this point, and both came to the realization a while ago that it's much more fun to do what you want to do, rather than what you're supposed to do.
Sure, there are famous friends scattered throughout, like Sleater Kinney's Corin Tucker, who shows up to belt out background vocals on "Sleep With One Eye Open," the most straightforward rock number here. But this is Buck and Arthur’s combined vision through and through. Energetic "Fall in Love With Me" features a memorable chorus while "Average Ghost" and "Love at First Sight" both have a loose, rocking approach that manages to also be experimental and exploratory. Arthur's voice has gotten more resonant and ragged over the years, and on "Where Did You Go?" his uniquely deep warble adds a touch of weary fragility to a song that eschews structure in favor of meditative recursiveness. While this vibe-y approach works on this track, a couple other numbers like "Not So Modern Now" do meander a bit too much.
© Jason Ferguson/Qobuz
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