For the past several days I've been solely listening to Joseph Arthur's sprawling new double album Redemption City. It's strange... I absolutely abhorred the first several listens. I've been following Joseph religiously for over a decade, and this album is the only one of his which I didn't immediately connect with. Firstly, there's just so much to digest (24 songs- the longest of which clocks in at over 11 minutes). Secondly, it is a sharp, almost violent departure turn from his last album- it's extremely esoteric and is in no way immediately accessible to even his most avid listeners. But the more I play this album, the more I find it increasingly fascinating.
Interestingly enough, I had the same initial reactions to Tusk. There was just SO much material to absorb- and the material was jagged and hard to swallow... so utterly different from what I knew Fleetwood Mac to be. But I never could stop listening to Tusk. Random songs or even lyrics alone would stay in my mind days afterwards, and I'd have to play the album again. Tusk went on to become probably my all time fav album. It utterly changed how I viewed music, opened up endless new horizons for my appreciation of music, my definition of beauty, and what types of music I would actively seek out in the future. I feel like Joseph Arthur's Redemption City might just end up having a similar effect on me.
So this album is probably way too "out there" for most Ledgies, but here's my fav cut as of this moment from Redemption City:
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