Joseph Arthur

Our Shadows Will Remain

June 01, 2008

By Mr. Marlowe

**** / ****

Released 2004

I dare anyone to find a more bizarre, talented, and unpredictable one man musical machine than Joseph Arthur. And I dare anyone who accepts that challenge to point me to an album that is not only as bizarre, talent rich, and unpredictable as the person responsible for it but also really, really good. I don’t suspect too many will win this challenge because the album and the artist that fit these criteria aren’t on most people’s radars. And that’s a damn shame.

Joseph Arthur and his Our Shadows Will Remain is the pinnacle of alternative music: a bold, mesmerizing musical experiment that is as challenging as it is innovative, as exciting as it is novel, and as brilliantly delicious as a genre crossing folk/new age/rock album could ever hope to be. Organic yet electric, simple yet sophisticated, familiar yet out of this world, one listen to Our Shadows Will Remain and you’ll be left both scratching your head and begging for another listen. When it comes to alternative music, Joseph Arthur and his Our Shadows Will Remain is “The Truth.”

Take Echo Park, for example. Deep drum beats meet swirling electric currents while a falsetto-ready Arthur pleads for redemption over nearly hidden synthesizer strains. Or how about Devil’s Broom? A rockin’ Arthur hoarsely shouting over acoustic runs until the tempo swells and the train comes barreling off the tracks. “I can’t trade a bottle for an empty room. I just pray the Lord is gonna come down and take me. Sweep me off the floor with The Devil’s Broom.” Listen closely and you’ve got a deranged Johnny Cash finding God in the middle of the city, something I certainly never thought I’d hear in 2004, especially in this particular manner. But it’s true. Religion mixes with self-doubt while redemption lingers somewhere in the future of self-realization.

And that brings us to Wasted. How did Prince get thrown into this mix? Check the lyrics and tell me I’m wrong. I dare you!

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Even Tho, Can’t Exist, A Smile That Explodes: these aren’t merely songs Arthur has created but full-blown epic musical poems. Certainly Arthur slips from time to time on Our Shadows Will Remain (Failed, for instance, is kind of boring), but brilliance isn’t possible without breaking a few eggs. And when push comes to shove the overall verdict of Arthur’s musical mastery is obvious: this guy is a fucking genius.

Before hearing Our Shadows Will Remain, I couldn’t imagine who might think of some of this stuff let alone make it a reality. Now that I’ve heard it, I am certain there is but one man: his name is Joseph Arthur. Ominous, foreboding, and eerie, Our Shadows Will Remain is a great album and a thrilling aural experience.

Best Songs: Even Tho, Devil’s Broom, Can’t Exist, Wasted, Leave Us Alone