Customer Reviews

Let's Just Be (Dig)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

I gave this 2 stars because as a whole album I think it stinks. But also there are 3 songs that are really fantastic and remind me of Arthur's songwriting from Redemption's Son, which is one of his best albums. Those 3 songs I would give 4 or 5 stars.

"Take Me Home" is a heartfelt and subdued tune consisting of acoustic guitar, keyboards and mellow drums. Really beautiful. "Chicago" is an interestingly written song that is much more energetic, with loud guitars and a punchy beat. "Lonely Astronaut" is an enigma. It's over twenty minutes long. Parts of it, most of it as measured by the clock, I absolutely love: beautiful songwriting. But here's the thing: at about 8 minutes into the song it suddenly devolves into this cacophany of non-musical guitar strumming, and on top of that Arthur is chanting "aye, aye, aye, aye." This goes on FOR EIGHT MINUTES! Right in the middle of the song. And then, just as mysteriously as it came, it's gone, and the song goes back to what it was doing at the beginning for 4 more minutes. If you could splice the middle 8 minutes out of the song it would be great. I'm generally pretty appreciative of artistic license, but I don't understand the meaning of putting this chaotic, grating mental breakdown in the middle of this song. There's no meaningful transition and no obvious meaningful relationship to the rest of the song. I just don't know what they were thinking.

Perhaps some explanation comes from this quote from Joseph Arthur: "The philosophy of the whole record was sort of a letting go, that's why I called it Let's Just Be, because it was like everything about that record [came from] a Zen-like approach. Just letting things be how they are."

There is one other equally horrible part of this album and that would be the song "Shake It Off" with Arthur shrieking like a banshee over an awkward beat. Listen to the sound clip and you'll see what I mean. It doesn't get any better.

Don't buy this album unless you just buy mp3s of the 3 good tracks (although you can't buy "Lonely Astronaut" as an mp3). Other than my favorite Joseph Arthur album, Redemption's Son, I also love Come to Where I'm From and Our Shadows Will Remain. You can't go wrong with any of those three albums. If you've already got those and you want to deepen your Joseph Arthur collection, consider Vacancy which is very good (although I think it's expensive to buy these days) or And the Thieves Are Gone EP which is solid.

I got to see some of this album performed live in Cincinnati, and it was fantastic,infectious music. At the show I bought a copy and still cannot stop listening to it. Yes, it is different from Joseph Arthur's earlier offerings, not as dark, much more optimistic. The first album released by Arthur's own label, Lonely Astronaut Records, it is a sample of what happens when someone as talented and original as JA hooks up with a band like the Lonely Astronauts. Watching this music live I could not help but notice how this band works together and has a great time doing it, and it comes across on Let's Just Be.

Standout rock songs- Diamond Ring, Spacemen, Cocaine Feet

Take Me Home has the feel of a sublime night out on the town ending as the sun rises, sound like the revolution of the car tires as the night ends

Precious One- love song, JA and LA style- original

Gimme Some Company- Jennifer Turner shines here- great song

I Will Carry You- Kraig Jarrett Johnson, formerly of the Jayhawks, with JA- these guys sound great together- write great songs together!

Yer the Reason- fun, jangly beat with raw lyrics.

I am scheming to try to fit another one of their concerts into my schedule before this tour ends. Do yourself a favor- if you are skeptical about JA's new sound go to his website and watch some of the videos of these songs performed on various shows- or better yet stop brooding in your bedrooms and go out and see this band before the tour ends. You will not be sorry!

As indicated this album is not typical of Joseph Arthur. I do own JA's five prior full length CDs but none of his EPs or single recordings. After reading the first review I felt disappointed as I really enjoy the heck out of his music. He is one of my many favorite artists. So, I figured I buy tons of music without the slightest clue as to what to expect...So why not an album from an artist who has never disappointed. I bought the album and five others at the same time all from the same "alternative genre" and mixed them up and dropped them into my car CD player. I wanted to see if this album would stand out. I had listened to three tracks on this disc before I knew that I was listening to JA. I really liked what I was hearing without presuming an artist or a particular sound. If you do the same this album will stand alone as a great effort. PS The eighth track did bother me a bit on first listen ... less so on subsequent play. Tis' rock and roll folks. Open your mind and this JA CD will take you somewhere new.

There were only a couple tracts on this one that I enjoyed; otherwise, a waste of time.

Worst...album...ever.

If I could give this a negative rating, I would. However, I gave it one star because I like the artwork, and my dog found the CD to be a fun Frisbee for a bit.

The music is sloppy and horribly done. Joseph Arthur sings like he's holding in weed smoke while desperately trying to squeeze out a constipated poo. On some tracks, the singing is so lazy, that it sounds like he recorded them from his bed while falling asleep. The guitar playing sounds like he played it with his buttocks. The other band members... well... let's just say that I've heard homeless guys in bus stops play better.

I like experimental music. A lot. However, this isn't experimental music; this is garbage.

Yes... it's that bad. I like Arthur. I have most of his albums, and listen to them regularly. But... this...

The music is sloppy and badly played. The production is muddy. Arthur's singing is horrible. Especially when he screams into the microphone on several tracks. Screaming into a microphone isn't singing, and Arthur's voice is piercing and gut-wrenching on this album.

I'd rather eat moldy, rotten meat that's been in the refrigerator for months than listen to this album again. I'd rather hear Courtney Love sing La Traviata than listen to this horrorshow. I'd rather... well... you get the picture.

Let's hope the Lonely Astronauts crash their ship and never voyage again.

This album isn't for everyone but it's an extremely rewarding listen for those who "get it." There's meaning behind the madness and Arthur makes quite a statement. He stepped out of line and dared to challenge the norm and so far he's mostly been unjustly critisized. It'll probably get its due in about twenty years. This album is a masterpiece.