MOG

I was excited to see today that pitchfork posted a review on Joseph Arthur's latest album Let's Just Be...

until I read it.
OK, so I'm the hugest Joseph Arthur fan I know. Though I can say that about some of my music, I can't say it about all of it. And I have always been torn with Joseph to "keep it like a secret" or to tell "the world at large". In the end I do both. I try to make up for the fact that I can't keep my mouth shut by not telling idiots about him. Because, while idiots are fans too, they also come to shows and yell stupid stuff and try to reduce a great thing like the Lonley Astronauts to their own personal Led Zeppelin cover band.
That said, I am reminded of the first Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts show I saw this past fall. Nuclear Daydream was an amazing follow up to Our Shadows Will Remain, and Joseph's need to drop the folk balladeer thing and get up and rock was more than apparent. I even discussed the emergence of his influences in his more recent rock fueled music with him. The Stones and Bowie especially. Without quite apologizing he said people think he is trying to sound like said artists but he simply can't help it, and I excitedly finished his sentence for him by adding clearly they helped make him who he is. How could they not right? Fun thing was I had picked up on it back on Our Shadows will remain, and at the show the night before I talked to him, they actually played "Miss You" by The Stones. Paying homage and confirming my every suspicion. Joseph also pulled Greg Duli out of his back pocket and did a duet with him. Not to mention the ridiculously hip stellar indie and rock star power of each of the Lonely Astronauts. One of the best female guitarists I've ever sen, Jen Turner (of Furslide and Natalie Merchant fame, and actress, model, space alien, and bass player Sibyl Buck at her grooviest as a musical astronaut (Champion Of Sound, Milk 4 Cats) both of whose beautiful voices are a welcome addition to Joseph's. Then there's Kraig Jarret Johnson on keyboard and guitars (Golden Smog, The Jayhawks), Greg Wieczorek on drums (Twilight Singers, The Honorary Title), and occasionally Rene Lopez of Holding the Void. I mean, how could any of that possibly be a bad thing for anybody?
OK so I got to preview most of the songs from Let's Just Be on the two shows I caught last fall. I also got to witness the transformation of Joseph from folk space rock auteur to the front man of a rock band. And having owned the rare Holding the Void Joseph Arthur rock band album for quite some time, not only did it not surprise me, it made perfect sense. Joseph and I even discussed how the Lonely Astronauts are basically the sound of Joseph Arthur meets Holding the Void. Joseph said that his solo thing was partially the product of necessity. He didn't need to haul a band and all that equipment around, and that's how he was working at the time. But had he had the option, he probably would've started as a rock band rather than a solo artist.
That said, I know some fans will not make the transition as easily as I did. Check out the Pitchfork review if you want proof, but better yet... don't read it at all. What can I say? Some people fear change. And Joseph's music has changed with the addition of two rockin' ladies and two rockin' dudes. How? Well... they ROCK!!!
Joseph and I discussed how he had been doing the folk thing for long enough, and I agreed that he has a whole period of great work that represents that, but all good artists evolve. He was really excited about getting his own label, cleverly named Lonly Astronaut Records, and so am I. The pitchfork review says he has too much freedom. I think that is ridiculous. An artist like Joseph needs as much freedom as possible so he can continue to explore and push his own boundaries.
Not unlike Trent Reznor, in the past year, he has released two very solid and very different albums. Nuclear Daydream carries on the heritage of Joseph's evolving sound, and Let's Just Be represents the rock and roll beast of Joseph Arthur and the Lonley Astronauts that you might've caught on the last tour. It could be cleaner, more rehearsed, more polished, but is that the spirit of rock and roll? What you get on Let's Just Be is. Plus this material feels more playful and spontaneous than anything Joseph has done in a while. They are playing with different sounds, different textures, different aesthetics. Same Joseph, but rockin' out like he absorbed the spirits of Keith Richards and Iggy Pop even though they aren't dead yet. There are some strange moments, but you can tell they are having a hell of a lot of fun, and if anything it is part of a long tail on a song that you could skip if you wanted to after the song is done. So fuck whathisface at pitchfork. At least they have given him proper respect in the past. Apparently they were expecting more of the same. But why? Why do people fear change when they could have something new? I'm excited to see the Lonely Astronauts on May 8/9 at the Roxy.
So what can I say? Some people fear change, yes even the avant garde uber indie twee folk at pitchfork tee hee. And if any Joseph Arthur fan tries to tell you there is something wrong with the material, trust me, there's nothing wrong with the material, there's something wrong with the fan. If they were paying any attention, they would realize that this makes perfect sense. Joseph has taken his body of work and forged two musical entities from the same source. Not only is it the logical evolution of an incredibly underrated and talented artist, it is perfect synchronicity.