Richard Buckner
Our Blood
Merge Records [2011]
Fire Note Says: It took time to get here but the new Richard Buckner, Our Blood, was well worth the wait!
Album Review:
It never ceases to amaze me the pain and suffering that some artists go through just to get their music to your player. Take singer/songwriter Richard Buckner for example, as he attempted to follow up 2006's Meadow. First, he spent tons of time creating a score for a movie that never
happened. Then he had his trusty tape machine break down, which of course had recorded music on it. After enough start-stops, his home was burglarized where his laptop was stolen - and yes, you guessed it - all of his new material was gone too. It would have been easy to stop at this point but at the end of the day, all of these misfortunes have benefited Buckner's new and long overdue LP, Our Blood. It is one of his most intimate settings for a record as he went back to scratch (several times) and ended up playing most of the instruments himself. This leads to Buckner's voice and lyrics taking a front seat, which is a complete win. His low slight gruff vocal is consistently engaging like on the acoustic beginning of "Confession" that does not let your focus go anywhere else. The record is a tidy 9 songs and just over 36 minutes that is a perfect fit because Our Blood has a very growing pace and never gets excited but always possesses an undertone of unrest. It is this uneasy balance that lets you bond with Buckner and is the same quality that will have you coming back for more on this excellent outing!
Key Tracks: "Traitor", "Confession", "Escape"
Bands With Similar Fire:
Mark Kozelek
Steve Earle
John Hiatt
Richard Buckner Website
Richard Buckner Facebook
Merge Records
-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony
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