Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Richard Buckner
Meadow
(Merge Records)
Richard Buckner has been mining a rich vein in introspective, atmospheric rock since his second album Devotion and Doubt in 1987 (Bloomed was his first and last folk album). By atmosphere, I don’t mean swooshy keyboard effects (those he’s been known to go there) but by releasing the howling ghosts out of the wood in his guitars to accompany his rough hewn baritone. This latest record Meadow finds Buckner returning to the more amped up college rock of 1998’s Since. What separates Buckner from the pack is the gravity of his songs, their serpentine lines darting around the loss that pierces everyday life? This is also one of his prettiest records to date. “Lucky” could be a hit single if just the right movie of TV show were to pick it up. “Mile” demonstrates his immense power on the acoustic guitar, but it’s on “Window” where he really gets a tornado going. Richard Buckner is a master of ambiance and his record is a lot like last year’s Alligator by The National, a record so good you feel you owe the guy a drink after listening to it.
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