Posts tagged ‘Joseph Arthur’
JOSEPH ARTHUR | Travel As Equals (Video)
Joseph Arthur’s music has never been more relevant than it is now. You might say the single, “Travel As Equals”, off the resplendent 24-song double-disc “Redemption City”, is the clarion call for the new record. It would be presumptuous of me to try to completely nail down this song’s meaning or message, stripping it of its wingéd beauty, because music is often such a solitary, personal thing. But one thing is certain, you may listen to this song in the cloistered confines of your bedroom, but it’s meant to unify people.
JOSEPH ARTHUR | Redemption City
David D. Robbins Jr. | Their Bated Breath
Joseph Arthur “Redemption City” (2012)
Two-disc set available here
Singer-songwriter and painter Joseph Arthur’s newest record “Redemption City” is one of the biggest, more ambitious wonders of the new year. It’s an epic record, addressing the state of things in America and in Arthur’s mind. It canvasses the meaning of human interconnection and that feeling like something isn’t right with the world. But it’s also a record about finding solace, restoration and transcendence. “Redemption City”, even in the title itself, suggests a pouring out of passions, dreams, desires, and hopeful notions of something better around the corner. It’s a sprawling two-disc, 24-song record (divided into 12 songs each). Arthur unfairly is sometimes categorized as a far-reaching musician. Too esoteric. Too pseudo. Too keen on personal idiosyncrasy. In truth, in a day and age where idiocy is mistaken for populism, and intelligence makes one ‘suspect’, he’s more or less a victim of the times. But his tight-knit core of fans is devout, and with good reason. The value of his vision and voice speaks for itself on the new record. On the opener “Travel as Equals”, Arthur sings in prophetic verse about how to survive in a world of division and chaos: “In the dark of graveyard chatter / In the light of freedom’s call / In the heat of any matter / We travel as equals or not at all / Bloom disgust, class divide / I saw it written on the wall / The only way we can survive, we travel as equals or not at all.”
JOSEPH ARTHUR | Hallelujah (Cohen Cover)
Singer-songwriter and painter Joseph Arthur sent out a previously unreleased cover version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” in an e-mail to to his subscribed fans. It’s a pretty take, especially well-timed for the holidays. Sorry, no posting the song for download, but you can listen to it below. Also, be on the lookout for a new video for “Over the Sun”, the ninth in an ongoing series from 2011′s “The Graduation Ceremony”. The video was completed on a custom made iphone rig, and you can see a making of the video here on YouTube. Note: Photo comes from artist’s facebook page, and was taken this year by Myriam Santos. – David D. Robbins Jr.
JOSEPH ARTHUR | The Graduation Ceremony
What a surprise, eh? Preview each new track off Joseph Arthur’s first solo record in 5 years, “The Graduation Ceremony”. It’s officially out on May 24. Visit his website here. – David D. Robbins Jr.
NEW VIDEO | Joseph Arthur
ON TOUR: Musician Joseph Arthur performs “Can’t Exit”, a track off the 2004 album “Our Shadows Will Remain”, at Bluebird Cafe in Nashville,Tennessee on Feb. 9, 2010. It’s a must watch for Arthur fans. The setting is warm and intimate, with Arthur looking the disheveled John Lennon. Wait for the 5:24 mark where Arthur goes no-holds-barred on a sweet guitar riff — looped chorus and woodblock going off in the background. Lovely stuff.
(No review for EMA)
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