Another new CD to mention this Music Monday, Joseph Arthur's Nuclear Daydream (myspace).
Man, I am enjoying this CD thoroughly. Nuclear Daydream is my introduction to Arthur, and what a great introduction it is. His sound reminds me a bit of Elliot Smith. A lot of Mick Jagger. But if Mick Jagger isn't a sound you are looking for, please just trust me and check it out anyway. I think you will be very surprised.
KEXP in Seattle has a live concert of Joseph Arthur online (51 minutes), as well as a video interview. Also, search for the KEXP Live Performances podcast on iTunes to discover great new music.
Reviews
Metacritic puts Nuclear Daydream at an 81, which means "universal acclaim."
Paste: "The multitalented Joseph Arthur...is a metaphysician who fashions his complex interior monologues into deceptively simple pop songs. Nuclear Daydream, his fifth album, is post-apocalyptic religious music, endlessly ponderable and disturbingly beautiful."
New York Magazine: "His latest album, Nuclear Daydream, is his fifth, and it is a tutorial in finely textured songwriting. The tunes are generally slow to mid-tempo, built from simple chord progressions and driven by a powerful, versatile voice that blends bits of Jagger, Dylan, Bowie, and Stipe. Arthur’s lyrics tend to be blunt vignettes about the struggles of love and faith, and they do occasionally veer into solipsistic clichés. But because his delivery is so full bore, you find yourself helplessly singing along even to lyrics that might otherwise make you wince, such as “Woman, you make me feel / Woman, are you for real?” And though the sentiments are often bleak, Arthur takes such cathartic pleasure in expressing them that even the darkest moments contain a glimmer of hopefulness."