The LA Times previewed "Walk Away," track 5 from the upcoming EP today.

"An ascetic loneliness pervades much of the indefatigable Joseph Arthur’s work. He’s offering up four EPs and one full-length this year, all guaranteed to make us reach for the bottle, and this is on top of his opening a new gallery in Brooklyn, the Museum of Modern Arthur (MOMAR) on Feb. 15. Few approach his plangent vision, as “Walk Away” from the upcoming “Could We Survive” (due March 18th) illustrates. Who among us has not desired self-abnegation, “to walk away from who you are”? The production is both a mess and gloriously clear at the same time. Over saturated drums and the distant harmonies, Arthur’s shaky voice implores."

First Listen: Joseph Arthur
Hear ''Shadows of Lies,'' from the singer-songwriter's upcoming EP


Joseph Arthur
Charles Hopkinson / Retna

Joseph Arthur is nothing if not ambitious. ''Shadows of Lies'' will appear on his upcoming EP, Could We Survive, out March 18 on Lonely Astronaut; he also hopes to release three more EPs before dropping his full-length album later this year. Here, the sandpaper-voiced singer-songwriter, first discovered by Peter Gabriel more than a decade ago, continues his tradition of intimate, heartfelt compositions. To hear ''Shadows of Lies,'' .... (visit the article!)

By Leah Greenblatt
(from Entertainment Weekly)

Spring break jams
We've skimmed a few hyped albums, and now you'll know what should make its way onto your spring playlist.

Joseph Arthur's new EP "Could We Survive" is a refreshing departure from the current popular airbrushed indie music. It features six heart-wrenchingly honest tracks.

On his Web site, Arthur says, "(EPs) are like poems. Plus, the EP is like the stepchild of a record - people root for them."

The EP opens with the anti-war hymn "Rages of Babylon." The song strums "Fighting in a rich man's war, blood can't fill oceans of sand. I no longer possess my hand." It is the stark imagery of Arthur's lyrics and hoarse voice that pushes the song to success.

"In The Sun," a previously released track, pleads for another chance at love. "I was caught in between all you wish for and all you need … if I find my way, how much will I find?"

Arthur's revitalizing honesty succeeds in its quest to function as a poem. In the six-song album Arthur is able to trim down the tracks, leaving only the rhythm and heartfelt verses to thrive. As he clearly states in "King of the Pavement," "The gods can hear me sing from inside the basement. It's good to be king."

[....]

By John Sand, March 13, 2008
(from Minnesota Daily)

Album Reviews » Joseph Arthur » Could We Survive
Score: 8

Joseph continues to be one of the most prolific songwriters currently in America. This EP is the first of 5 releases in this coming year alone. In a increasing scene where singer/songwriters are cropping up at what seems to be every second it is just always refreshing to hear new Arthur material as this man knows how it is done. “Rages of Babylon' starts off with a sweet little harmonica but finishes with a powerful and painful lyric. “Morning Cup” features a really beautiful acoustic guitar riff combined with another strong lyric. “Could We Survive” is a tender piece that shows off Arthur really emotional and powerful voice with just the tripped down sound. “King of the Pavement” has this really cool echoed voice feature going on which makes it sound like it was recorded in a tin can first and then cleaned up a bit. This EP is a simply must own as Joseph has delivered another strong outing that always sets him apart from the rest of the pack.

by John Siwicki
(from ComfortComes)

RECORD RACK - March 16, 2008

Joseph Arthur
"Could We Survive" and "Crazy Rain and Boredom" (Lonely Astronaut)

***

TAKING advantage of the new-model (or no-model) music business, former Peter Gabriel protégé Arthur is releasing five EPs this year on his own label. The first two show the musician in an artistically restless vein -- not that he's ever been predictable. "Could We Survive" offers relatively ruminative moods, he and his flexible band crafting semi-acoustic settings and clouds of harmonies for an affecting, generally gentle if unsettled set. Six songs get inside the heads of a soldier in Iraq ("Rages of Babylon"), a lover in bed ("Shadow of Lies") and so on. "Crazy Rain" (due in April) gets edgier, sexier (the industrial-blues obsession mantra "I Want to Get You Alone") and more electric. It's all strong, if not as maverick as the format might allow. But there are still three more EPs to come, so plenty of time for adventure.

Steve Hochman
(from Los Angeles Times)

Week in Preview [March 18, 2008]
Heading to the record store? Here's what's new.

Joseph Arthur
Could We Survive
Lonely Astronaut
Joseph Arthur’s prolific prowess is nearing legendary status. Could We Survive is only the first of five releases Arthur has planned for 2008. Fans can expect the EP Crazy Rain in April, two more EPs in May and June, and finally the full-length All You Need Is Nothing in August. All will be handled by Arthur’s own imprint, Lonely Astronaut. The six-song Could We Survive opens with “Rages of Babylon,” which is most likely about the Iraq war, and ends with “King of Pavement,” which is most likely not about Stephen Malkmus.

~John Zeiss
(from prefixmag.com)

Joseph Arthur, Rages of Babylon MP3

Joseph Arthur likes to make a statement. Whether it's art, poetry, or music, the contemporary singer-songwriter uses his method of artistic transmission as a vehicle to uplift or chastise. In this case, it's the latter; the topic: the War in Iraq. "Rages of Babyon" is the first single from the Could We Survive EP, the first of five EPs to be released in the coming months.

"Rages of Babylon" contrasts a simplistic melody with lyrical complexity. Featuring his trademark scruffy voice, acoustic guitar, and token harmonica, Arthur takes on the persona of a soldier in battle. A militaristic drum roll complements the austere subject matter and the swirling outro repeats an eerie inquisition. Momentarily, its as if he's reciting a monologue and we're all quietly listening.

(from Filter Magazine)

MPFREE

* Joseph Arthur, "Rages of Babylon"

The singer-songwriter gets deep and introspective with this quiet yet stirring soldier's lament from his EP "Could We Survive," sung against a background of martial- sounding drums.

By MAXINE SHEN
(from New York Post)

the thoughts of others on 5 Years

The wonderful Joseph Arthur offers up a new album this week, just in time for the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War called Could We Survive. The first single, which you can hear or download for free here is entitled Rages of Babylon. In the vein of his older songs, it has a simple medley and striking lyrics. he takes on the persona of a young man fighting in the Iraq War and wondering is his family will remember him if he dies.

(from Cheaper Than Therapy)

joseph arthur, could we survive: i'd like to thank joseph arthur for releasing eps with the frequency that i change a roll of toilet paper. unlike the toilet paper, his stuff is anything but crappy.

(from Blah, Blah, Blah-Ler)

KEXP Blog: Song of the Day: Joseph Arthur - Morning Cup

"Pretty much every working musician these days is busier than hell trying to keep up with the speed of the digital age. It appears Joseph Arthur is trying to lead the pack in 2008. His recent EP, Could We Survive, is just the first of four to be released this year and they’re all to be followed by a proper full length. But you’d be wrong to think Arthur focuses on music 24/7. Last year saw the opening in Brooklyn of his new art gallery, the Museum of Modern Arthur. Ever since being handpicked by Peter Gabriel and his Real World label in the mid-90s, Arthur has flourished as a musician, producer, and artist. It wasn’t until 2006 that he started working and traveling with a full band, the Lonely Astronauts, bearing the same name as the record label he started around the same time. Most artists creating at such an Arthur-ian pace create absolute garbage on a regular basis, but somehow Joseph Arthur defies the odds with each new release. See for yourself by visiting his website and sampling tracks spanning the last four years"

(from KEXP)

Discourse Reviews - Volume 15, Issue 47, published March 26th, 2008

Joseph Arthur Could We Survive (Lonely Astronaut)

Akron native Joseph Arthur is always one step ahead of himself. When his ballyhooed 2000 effort, Come to Where I'm From, came out, the guy couldn't stop talking about what his next album would be, and how he had already written all the songs for it. Well, after a short lull (he did release two full-lengths in 2006, it should be noted), the most prolific singer-songwriter who isn't Ryan Adams is back at it. This EP marks the first of (count em!) four EPs he plans to release this year, with Crazy Rain slated for release on April 15 and two more EPs scheduled for release in May and June. And that's not to mention a full-length that will come out in August.

Opening with the maudlin roots rocker "Rages of Babylon," the album shows the evolution of his fine backing band, a group he's been touring with for the past couple of years. Arthur and company settle into a good groove for the pretty "Morning Cup," which sounds a bit like unplugged David Bowie, and are equally restrained on the album's tender closer, "King of the Pavement." Too bad that, as atmospheric and lovely as these songs are, they're just not very memorable. The absence of hooks and/or catchy choruses makes this another Joseph Arthur album that just isn't as great as Come to Where I'm From. - Jeff Niesel

(from The Cleveland Free Times)

LISTEN UP

Joseph Arthur, Could We Survive (out this week): Actually an EP, one of several the prolific artist plans to release in quick succession, this disc spotlights his folkier side, which is something of a relief after the extreme self-indulgence that marred his last album. A welcome reminder of why he's (almost) always worth listening to.

by Ken Barnes
(from USA TODAY)

Joseph Arthur
Could We Survive EP
Lonely Astronaut, 2008

Rating: 7.2

Prolific singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur gets serious and even political on his first of four new EPs, Could We Survive. Arthur is better known for being discovered by Peter Gabriel, and providing the often covered “In The Sun” for benefit and tribute albums. But he’s also an artist with his own studio in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn, and now has his own band, The Lonely Astronauts, and his own label, Lonely Astronaut. More importantly, he’s a writing & releasing machine, recording every live show and selling the CD-R’s immediately after the set, and, in 2002, he issued four different Junkyard Hearts EPs in the lead-up to the drop date of his full-length, Redemption’s Son. Now, Arthur goes at it again, with one a month until the August debut of All You Need Is Nothing – starting things out with the timely Could We Survive.

With leadoff track “Rages of Babylon”, it’s clear that this isn’t the same Joseph Arthur. It isn’t the first time the musician has changed things up – he’s gone from the world music of his early, Peter Gabriel days to high melody on Redemption’s Son, soft fuzz on 2004’s Our Shadows Will Remain, haunting reverb on the following And the Thieves Are Gone EP, and then full-band rock ‘n’ roll on his last two LP’s, last year's Nuclear Daydream and Let’s Just Be. Now Arthur delivers an out-and-out anti-war song, a strong alt-country/folk procession. The lyrics are a little banal, but still better than most of today’s rather lackluster crop of ‘protest’ songs.

Download “Rages of Babylon” for free here: www.josepharthur.com/mp3/ja-ragesofbabylon.mp3

The mood really changes with the following “Morning Cup”, a sweet, touching, even bright number that unfortunately goes on a little too long. More winning is “Shadow of Lies”, another sunny piece (despite the title), whose airy growth benefits from certain distorted effects. Arthur gets a little more somber with the quiet, stripped choral title track, but it is the finely proceeding “Walk Away” that expands nicely into echoing power. Survive finishes with the reverb-ish sad anthem, “King of the Pavement”.

In some ways a return to his more sonically affected works, Could We Survive actually stands out on its own among Arthur’s vast catalogue. Despite its small size, the EP has real weight. Arthur celebrates its release tonight at his studio, ‘The Museum of Modern Arthur’, where he’s also showing off his visual art . ‘Cause he just doesn’t produce enough material already…

- Graham Goodwin, Friday, 21 March 2008
(from QRO Magazine)

Fricke’s Picks: Joseph Arthur

As a singer-songwriter, Joseph Arthur has Ryan Adams Syndrome: He can’t stop making records. Since 2000, Arthur — an Ohio native first championed by Peter Gabriel in the mid-Nineties — has issued thirteen records of original songs in various editions and formats. He is not slowing down. A new EP, Could We Survive (Lonely Astronaut), is the first of four he is releasing this spring and summer, like an album in installments, ahead of a new full-length CD in August. Arthur has made merry with EPs before — his four volumes of Junkyard Hearts in 2002 had enough material to fill a double album — and the glistening brevity and pointed argument of the six songs here show that he knows when less is more than enough. With Arthur’s plaintive voice flanked by robust, acoustic strumming and rattling percussion, “Morning Cup” recalls the stark bittersweetness of Big Star’s Third and Loudon Wainwright’s self-titled 1970 debut. In the EP’s title song, a dream-state ballad with cowboy-choir harmonies, Arthur sounds like the early-Seventies John Lennon surrounded by the Jordanaires. “Rages of Babylon” reeks of current events, opening the record with the high price of front-line duty — Phil Ochs would have approved and sung along — while “Walk Away” is Arthur up to his neck in Side Two of Abbey Road, wrapped in curtains of Mellotron and Beatles-esque sighs. The next EP in this series, Crazy Rain, comes out in April, which still gives you plenty of time to revisit this one, over and over.

David Fricke
(from Rolling Stone: Rock & Roll Daily blog)