NUCLEAR DAYDREAM - JOSEPH ARTHUR
On his fifth full-length album, singer/songwriter Arthur explores a new minimalism that reaches back to David Bowie and the Stones, armed with his distinctive vocal arrangements and just a handful of chords. Released on Arthur’s own label, the set is a collection of sparse, acoustic guitar-based songs about love, death and the lingering pain of bruised relationships. Simply structured but rich in texture, standouts like the synth-drenched “Automatic Situation” and the majestic “Black Lexus” are gloriously melancholic pop songs, introspective yet anthemic. Most of the action happens in the chorus when Arthur, stacking harmonies like angry Lego bricks, builds a haunting wall of vocals that can veer from a Bee Gees meltdown (”Slide Away”) to an icy trembling (”Electrical Storm”). The title track offers his own answer to the Stones’ “Wild Horses,” closing a mature effort that shines with nakedness and clarity. Billboard
