Let's Just Be

by

Joseph Arthur

Edit

Its a record for people who need a break from mainstream melodic music, I think. Sure I love Joseph`s popular albums and more mainstream songs. But this is eclectic and artistic and I agree, a masterpiece. Lack A Vision is worth the price of the album. Joseph clearly does not lack a vision. I hope to hear more as he develops in this direction. Its a very intereting journey and one I intend to follow. I love his recent one man tour with loop pedals, acoustic and electric, truly a show that must be seen. «his vibes are haunting, long after the show is over.

Let me start by saying: I'm a big Joseph Arthur fan. For anyone who is interested in his music- I deplore you- go buy Come to Where I'm From or Our Shadows Will Remain. Those albums are a much better representation of what Joseph Arthur is capable of as a musician- and must haves for any fan.

Now, on to Let's Just Be.

Let's Just Be is Joseph's follow up to last years lukewarm Nuclear Daydream, and his first release on his Lonely Astronaut label. Similar to John Lennon's / Yoko Ono's Wedding Album, Unfinished Music etc. - Let's Just Be seems like an expression of all the crap that the labels wouldn't release on one of his previous releases. Overall, the album has a very Rock N Roll production. Any fans expecting anything similar to his previous releases might as well give in to disappointment immediately.

The opening track, "Diamond Ring" might as well be a discarded AC/DC track. Overly raucous and messy.

Track two, "Good Life" begins with a 60 sec sound collage intro. This track is a little more bearable, with a decent verse / chorus - but ends awkwardly with Joseph piercingly screaming "Rock N ROLL!" into the microphone. Already, less than five minutes into the album- I could tell this was a album was packed with nothing more than dissatisfaction. And it gets worse before getting better.

"Spacemen" begins ok, but the ridiculous chorus "Here Come the Spacemen, Outta the Sky!" ruined the track for me.

"Take Me Home" is definitely a little taste of the Joseph Arthur I know. A stripped down, simple track- it fails to reach the beauty / complexity of his best works, but is still a simple little track with a nice sound.

"Chicago" is an alternative track with lots of overdubbed vocals / echoes. It emotes similarly to his work on Redemption Son.

"Cockteeze" is another Rock N Roll track. It has a charm about it- but it's too silly to take seriously. Joseph's voice cracks through the whole track as he reaches too high out of his range. Again- I hear an AC/DC influence here...

I had high hopes for "Lonely Astronaut". It begins as a slow, acoustic, country flavored tune with more "Take Me Home" style lyrics. At around the 8 minute mark, the beat deconstructs - the music becomes noise- and Joseph repeats the word "I" into the microphone every three seconds for the next SEVEN MINUTES. After about SEVEN minutes, he begins repeating the word "LOVE" into the mic instead. This continues for another few minutes before the acoustic guitars come back in for the reprise, ending the track at just over 20 minutes. I am all for avante garde experimentation, but let's either leave it to the artists, forewarn your audience, or wait until you come down off the cocaine before doing so.

And that brings us to, "Cocaine Feet". Another bluesy Rock track- personally, I don't feel it's Joseph's genre- and I would rather hear it from people who do it well. But all in all, it's a decent track that showcases Jennifer Turner's guitar skills. One of the more solid tracks off the album.

The title track, "Let's Just Be", is a clap-a-long with more shrieking Joseph. Nothing special about this one.

"Shake it Off" is one of the worst tracks I have heard in recent memory. Again, I'm all for experimentation. Substances have helped a lot of musicians, but rarely while they are in the studio. Please stop the recording process until you're sober enough to recognize your inability to perform.

"Lack of Vision", Jennifer Turner's "Gimmie Some Company", and "Yer the Reason" are the standout tracks on the album. They sound as if they were recorded live in the studio- and Joseph is definitely outperformed by his band mates. Turner's "Gimmie Some Company" is one of my favorites of this album.

The album closer "Star Song" begins with the band members imitating cat meows.

It's another slower tune, with a Middle Eastern flair to it. It's one of the few incidences on this album where the Lonely Astronauts experimentation actually sees fruition. Well done guys.

All in all, I feel as though Joseph Arthur has lost all artistic credibility. I wish he would have taken the time to either hone these songs, or forewarn his fans that this album was more experimental (i.e. Unfinished Music).

As I said to my fellow Joseph Arthur fans on the day of release, the only talent Joseph exhibits on Let's Just Be is how he can ruin a song in thirty seconds.

Again, if you are interested in Joseph Arthur's music, which I highly recommend, then buy Come to Where I'm From or Our Shadows Will Remain, you will not be disappointed. His (actual) music is truly underappreciated.