Joseph Arthur and The Lonely Astronauts / Temporary People (Fargo)

Dès la chanson-titre, qui ouvre l’album, le ton est donné : nous sommes dans l’esthétique rock la plus classique. La plus classieuse aussi. Originaire d’Akron (Ohio), la patrie de Devo et de Goodyear, Joseph Arthur a décidé pour ce septième album studio de mettre sa belle voix éraillée au service de la pure tradition rock, avec comme références rien moins que Bowie, période Mick Ronson (Temporary People), les Rolling Stones période Sticky Fingers, voire Bob Dylan (Dead Savior) ou Lou Reed (Winter Blades). Rien de passéiste pourtant dans ce disque en demi-teintes. En nous promenant de ballades mélancoliques en boogie lent ou en folk songs électriques, magnifiquement soutenu par les claviers de Garth Hudson (de The Band, qui naguère accompagna Dylan) et par la formidable guitare de Jennifer Turner (on devrait parler encore longtemps de cette très talentueuse guitariste), Joseph Arthur trace un tableau tout en nuances des paysages seventies. Qui a dit que le rock était mort ? RG

01 décembre 2008
(from MAGMAKRONIK)

Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts - Temporary People

Wat een buitengewoon prachtige naam voor een band: Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts. Of u deze naam even heel goed onthoud! Wij hebben het hier over een aantal muzikanten die kwaliteit leveren. Het is daarom dat wij de naam Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts nog wel een aantal malen zullen herhalen.

Bij het beluisteren ontkwamen we niet aan het maken van vele associaties. Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astonauts kunnen wat ekaya.nl betreft vergeleken worden met een legende als Bob Dylan en grootheden als Cat Stevens en Rod Stewart. Stereophonics kwam ook nog voorbij maar dat is een grotere eer voor Stereophonics dan voor Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts.

Scheppen we zo een hele hoge verwachting? Allicht, we geloven dan ook heilig in dit album. Het is een oprechte folk-rock plaat met in de hoofdrol: Gitaar, piano, viool en een karakteristieke stem. De stem van Joseph Arthur, een stem die genoeg te verduren heeft gehad, zeker op het gebied van alcohol.

Klinkt een nummer als ‘Dear Savior’ niet teveel als Bob Dylan in de tijd van ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’? Ja, is dat erg? Laten we het zo stellen, naar onze mening komt het nummer heel authentiek over. Zoals overigens de hele plaat.

Wat ons betreft heeft Joseph Arthur goed naar de muziek van anderen gekeken en daarvan geleerd. Daarbij heeft hij een heel bijzonder album geproduceerd. Met trouwens ook fantastische achtergrondkoortjes. Waar horen we dat tegenwoordig nog?

Posted on December 6th, 2008 by edward
(from ekaya.nl)

Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts
Temporary People [Fargo/ Self 2008]

Rating: 7

L'affrancamento di Joseph Arthur dal mondo dorato della discografia (gli esordi per la Real World di Peter Gabriel immancabilmente citati) ha moltiplicato in questi anni la sua temibile sregolatezza artistica, dando vita ad una serie di progetti, compresa una serie di 4 ep che ha preceduto il disco in esame, che non sempre hanno centrato l'obiettivo. Per questo motivo l'ascolto di Temporary People sembra rimettere in carreggiata la sua vena poetica più incline alle forme folk rock, fornendo un lavoro dal carattere estremamente omogeneo - se di tale aggettivo si può parlare nel caso di Arthur, autore da sempre fuori sincrono e dolcemente sconnesso - in cui il sodalizio con i Lonely Astronauts (Kraig Johnson, Jennifer "Jen" Turner, Sybil Buck, Greg "G. Wiz" Wieczorek e la partecipazione straordinaria di Garth Hudson in tutte le parti di organo e pianoforte) pare avere raggiunto una perfetta simbiosi.

Nel caso di Joseph Arthur si traduce in un folk rock dal passo nervoso ed elettrico, ma capace di volgersi alla melodia, cercando una ballata struggente, un armonia pop nel muro di elettricità e gioiosa confusione che spesso travolge le sue composizioni. È un percorso maturato gradualmente negli ultimi anni, preceduto infatti da altrettanti episodi (Let's Just Be nel 2007, Nuclear Daydream un anno prima) che hanno sancito il cambio di marcia. Lasciando dunque in disparte gli eccessi elettonici e la cupa introversione folk che sembravano avere in parte affossato il suo songwriting in un manierismo di bassa fedeltà, in Temporary People scopriamo un Joseph Arthur alle prese con i fantasmi di Dylan (Dead Savior), quindi dispettoso e maldestro manipolatore della soul music (i cori gospel e gli stridori elettrici in Heart's a Soldier), eccitato rocker dalle movenze garage (Winter Blades, sguaiata al punto giusto), salvo trovare spesso riparo in una ballata umida, tutta tenerezze ed armonia elettro-acustica (la bellissima Say Goodbye, la più rustica Turn You On, con tanto di slide guitar, la corale Look into the Sky). Innegabile che questi ultimi rappresentino i momenti in cui la stoffa dell'autore sembra elevarsi sopra la media, testimonianza di una voce spinta costantemente sul limite, eppure efficacissima e riconoscibile, ideale spalle del songwriting ombroso.

Altrove Arthur tenta di mediare fra la sua anima folk e i colori di un pop più acceso: gli riesce bene nell'apertura di Temporary People, con una coda finale che deraglia nel più acceso impeto chitarristico, così come in Sunrise Dolls, linea melodia accativante e una patina di oscurità new wave fra le righe. In altre occasioni invece, la sua innegabile propensione a scompaginare le carte sembra condurlo in un vicolo cieco (una folk song un po' inconcludente quale A Dream is Longer than the Night, una altrettanto confusa Faith): sono tuttavia cadute accettabili vista la natura stessa del protagonista e che non inficiano la tenuta generale di Temporary People.

Fabio Cerbone
(from Rootshighway.it)

Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts - (Lonely Astronaut/Indica)
Temporary People

(3.5 stars)

Arthur is so prolific (four EPs and one LP in 2008 alone) it stands to reason that he'll eventually release something that sucks, but Temporary People ain't that record. A little less love-and-lovers and a bit more lonesome and meandering, this includes its fair share of darkness and spirituality, and Arthur seems interested in singing in different voices to boot: On Heart's a Soldier he does an adequate bass, on Dead Savior he does Dylan. Yes, there are issues with Arthur's supposed one-take style, but it's nice that there are still musicians who embrace the imperfections inherent in the process.

Dave Jaffer
(from Hour.ca)

JOSEPH ARTHUR & AND THE LONELY ASTRONAUTS Temporary People Fargo ***

Joseph Arthur certainly can't be accused of lack of productivity. This album follows four EPs already released this year and a rake of other material since the singer and guitarist signed to Peter Gabriel's Real World label late in the last decade. Arthur was an odd signing, a New York post-punk rock experimentalist with an ear for a good tune who joined an eclectic roster of world music acts. It could have been inspired, but wasn't. Since then Arthur has put together this strongly guitar-led band to play his songs, which remain punchy, catchy and possibly more orthodox if also derivative of the likes of The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, David Bowie and others. Faith, Drive and Winter Blades all carry a decent thump, although Say Goodbye may be the pick of a moderately interesting bunch. JOE BREEN

Download tracks: Say Goodbye, Faith

(from The Irish Times)

Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts - Temporary People

(3.5 stars)

Who would have guessed Joseph Arthur hails from Akron, Ohio. If you look at his art or listen to his music, it would seem as though Joseph was a nomad picking up gems from all over the world to incorporate into his various art forms. Joseph Arthur is known to be prolific, but 2008 has proven to be exceptionally inspired. Musically, the year has yielded four EP’s and now the full-length album with collaborators The Lonely Astronauts.

Now, for more information about the cast of The Lonely Astronauts; Jen Turner and Kraig Johnson are on guitars and keyboards, Sibyl Buck plays bass, and Greg Wieczorek plays drums. The troupe began playing together in the summer of 2006 as a touring band for Joseph. The group is rumored to have produced 80 songs in their first summer together. Sixteen of those 80 songs ended up on the group’s first recording together Let’s Just Be. Temporary People is their second album together.

With so much being created so quickly, one would expect the music to be sloppy or haphazard. This is not the case with Temporary People. Instead the album feels familiar and comfortable, like a pair of warm winter socks. In the title track, Joseph says, "there must be 25 different people living inside me". Each of those characters will appeal in some way to listeners. One of the people in him might be related to Jakob Dylan. Joseph’s vocal abilities are reminiscent of the Wallflowers' front man and the band as a whole could be compared to the group as well.

It is definitely worthwhile to delve deeper into several of tracks on the album. 'Faith' is a simple, eloquent rock song that will get you groovin' as will the song 'Winter Blades'. The lyrics to 'Look Into The Sky' are short on words but full of depth. You will want to play this one over and over. The song 'Heart's a Soldier', a song about drug use, is a roller coaster. From a brooding sound at its depths it soars up and at its heights sounds a bit like gospel. "Go on...show a little faith in me".

The one song on the album that really misses is 'Dream Is Longer Than The Night'. It should have been called 'Song is Longer Than Deserves Attention'. Even though the song is only a little over two minutes long, it is a strong departure from the feel of the album and doesn't fit. Most of the remainder of the album is solid and should have widespread appeal. Joseph Arthur And The Lonely Astronauts find a way to make artful music and lyrics feel like instant classics. There is nothing temporary about this talent.

By: Rebin Roy
(from Static Multimedia)

Auch Joseph Arthur (mit seinen
Lonely Astronauts) ist kein Neu-
ling auf der Singer/Songwriter-
bühne. Mit seinem mittlerweile
siebenten Album beweist er ein-
mal mehr, dass sein Folk-Pop kei-
nen Vergleich zu scheuen
braucht. Dass Arthur einer größe-
ren Öffentlichkeit noch immer
weitgehend unbekannt ist, ist
nicht so leicht zu verstehen. Jo-
seph Arthur kann viele Geschich-
ten erzählen: lustige, berührende,
aufrüttelnde, mahnende, gesell-
schaftspolitische – immer sind sie
hörenswert. Die Abgeklärtheit,
mit der er über die Welt und das
Leben singt, überrascht, sind
doch die immergültigen Ideale
von Freiheit und Gerechtigkeit die
treibende Kraft seines künstleri-
schen Schaffens. Bleibt zu hoffen,
dass die neue Silberscheibe „Tem-
porary People“ nicht nur von Mi-
chael Stipe und Chris Martin ge-
schätzt wird, sondern dass die
Songs von Arthur auch die breite
Aufmerksamkeit erhalten, die sie
verdienen.

(from Wiener Zeitung)

Translation (mine):

Joseph Arthur (with his Lonely Astronauts) is no newcomer to the singer-songwriter stage. With his now seventh album he proves once again that his folk-pop doesn't have to shy away from comparison. It is not easy to understand that Arthur is still unknown to a lager public. Joseph Arthur can tell a lot of stories: funny and touching ones, stories that shake you up, admonishing or sociopolitical ones - they are always worth a listen. The serenity with which he sings about the world and life surprises since the timeless ideals of freedom and fairness are what drives his artistic work. Let us hope that his new silver disc, Temporary People, will be appreciated not only by Michael Stipe and Chris Martin, but that Arthur's songs will also garner the broader attention they deserve.

Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts
Temporary People

Rating: 7.0/10

THE UNFORTUNATE result of releasing new music every month is that sometimes, when the real record comes around, the world is too used to your presence to notice it. The prolific Joseph Arthur’s Temporary People hit last September and has yet to be reviewed by Pitchfork, Pop Matters, Entertainment Weekly, Blender, Paste, or Rolling Stone. (The lone dissenter: a one-paragraph Spin review.). And just to clarify, Arthur’s not an unknown artist. He gets reviews—good ones—from the likes of Pitchfork and Paste. But the curse of Arthur’s prolificness is that it downplays his sometimes quality, sometimes inventive output.

That’s a shame for Temporary People, Arthur’s most diverse, gratifying album yet. Starting with the title track, which plops well timed piano chords and electric guitar riffs atop an acoustic structure that carefully avoids mimicking “Slow Me Down” (from this year’s Vagabond Skies EP), the album sees Arthur balancing his penchant for country, pop, gospel, and more experimental fare. Unlike last year’s trainwreck effort Let’s Just Be (which might be code for “lets record a bunch of mostly bad songs and just let them be”), it’s concise and controlled. As time has shown, Arthur achieves his best results when he reigns in he and his band’s more indulgent tendencies.

On “Heart’s a Soldier”, Arthur enlists a choir of background singers and puts on his deepest gospel voice for the first chorus (“Go on, go on/Show a little faith in me”) and the even better second chorus (“It’s a real tough life when you’re searching for ecstasy.”) I can’t be entirely sure whether he’s talking about the abstract noun or the illicit substance, but my money’s with the drug. “Turn You On” exercises Arthur’s falsetto on the album’s most believable lyric (“You say/I don’t turn you on/Until/It’s time for me to go”) and adds a wandering organ line.

Not everything works perfectly (see the sitar on the otherwise classic-rocky “Faith”) but almost none of it—and this is a big plus for Arthur—is blatantly out of place. The most malignant track is “A Dream is Longer than a Night,” where Arthur puts on his best Yorke imitation and waxes Radiohead; the track fails to do anything more than stick out awkwardly. Thankfully it’s only two and a half minutes long.

Most everything else on Temporary People speaks to a much-needed Arthur rejuvenation. He’s still the same quasi-Christian spiritualist, spinning tales of drug addiction and ever-lingering hope that’s always just a bit out of reach. He condenses and channels his best qualities here, just don’t be surprised if it takes a handful of EP’s and another album before it happens again. If there’s one thing we should have learned about Arthur by now, it’s that he is by turns indulgent and restrained, sloppy—but meticulous and inspired when he decides to be.

By Timothy Zila, January 16,2009
(from Patrol Magazine, NY)

Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts
Temporary People (Lonely Astronaut)
US release date: 30 September 2008
UK release date: 27 October 2008

Show a Little Faith in Me

What an absolute pleasure it is to write this review. For the longest time, it felt as if once-notable folk-rock troubadour Joseph Arthur had lost not just his muse, but his mind. Ever since forming his Lonely Astronaut record label/backing band, Arthur seemed content just releasing anemic rock jams for the rest of his life, something that came to harsh light in 2008, when Arthur released one terrible EP after another after another. All the EPs were released as a run-up to Temporary People, Arthur’s first full-length since 2007’s insufferable Let’s Just Be. Needless to say, the cards were not stacked in Arthur’s favor.

So imagine the surprise to be had when you pop in Arthur’s new disc, Temporary People, for the first time. No, it doesn’t reach the previous heights reached by 2002’s Redemption’s Son, but to say that this is Arthur’s best release in years would be something of an understatement. Gone are the drum-machine dance-rock experiments, the late-night Lonely Astronaut meandering jam sessions, and the distorted-to-the-point-of-being-indecipherable vocals. By flushing out all of his half-hearted obsessions with his quadrilogy of ‘08 EPs, it seems that the only option Arthur left himself was to record nothing but solid, sturdy, memorable songs—and what a blessing it is.

“Temporary People” opens the set, sounding like the most focused song Anton Newcombe never wrote, replete with “la la” backing vocals and Arthur’s paranoia-in-isolation lyrical stance. The Lonely Astronauts, before just a collection of ho-hum jam buddies, burst into the scene this time out, giving the title track a fully-bodied feel that strengthens over the course of five minutes, climaxing with Arthur’s wild-yet-focused guitar solos and a prevailing sense of, well, fun... something Arthur hasn’t exhibited in his songwriting for some time.

Arthur’s newfound infectious love of songwriting carries through on several of Temporary People‘s best tracks, like the positively propulsive rocker “Dead Savior”, a song that uses its slide-guitar and male vocal harmonies to almost become a barn-burning country rocker. But it never quite reaches that point, largely due to Arthur’s delightfully sarcastic delivery. Some songs drip with irony while others turn out to be a bit more heart-felt, such as the fantastic “Heart’s A Soldier”, which one-ups the Killers’ “I got soul / But I’m not a soldier” singalong by bringing in even more people to chant an ode for Arthur and Arthur alone: “It’s a real tough life when you’re searching for ecstasy / so go on / show a little faith in me”. It feels as if, for the first time in a long time, Arthur has stopped writing songs just because he can. He’s writing them because he actually has something to say.

Yet a few things keep Temporary People from being a late-period masterpiece for Arthur. First of all, though this disc is free of a single outright terrible moment, some of the good-to-average songs sound weaker when placed in the middle of this album, getting lost in a mid-tempo slush that lessens their impact. “Turn You On” is a fine, almost Dylan-esque rocker by itself. It just feels a lot less special coming off the heels of both “Heart’s a Soldier” and the jazzy “Dream Is Longer Than the Night”. This problem of sequencing also weakens closing track “Good Friend”. It’s a fine lament on its own, but a remarkably uninteresting way to close the album. Though some tracks will be memorable on their own and in the context of the album (the rousing “Look Into the Sky"), others, like the fairly bland “Drive”, just get lost in the shuffle.

At the end of the day, however, there is truly much to celebrate with Temporary People. It is Arthur’s best, most enjoyable work in years, and a very good sign for what’s to come. It may not be Arthur’s masterpiece, but it leaves you thinking that perhaps, just perhaps, his defining statement might be just around the corner.

Rating: 7/10

by Evan Sawdey, 27 January 2009
(from PopMatters)

Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts – Temporary people

Petit aveu en ouverture, j’avais un peu perdu de vue Joseph Arthur. Depuis Redemption’s Son et son virage plus pop, après les deux galettes initiales qui avaient amené dans la lumière l’écriture clair-obscur du jeune Anglais.

Perdu de vue donc depuis 2002 donc avec l’excuse que les derniers albums de Joseph Arthur n’étaient trouvables qu’en import. Heureusement - et sans l’aide de Jacques Pradel - Fargo est là et ce septième album est enfin distribué chez nous.

Heureusement, heureusement, c’est vite dit car entre temps, Joseph Arthur a passablement changé son fusil d’épaule. Maintenant affublé d’un groupe, the Lonely Astronauts (son The Band ou son Crazy Horse à lui), Arthur ne semble plus juré que par un certain rock années 70 à chemises à carreaux qui grattent. Il ne fait pas dans le Lynyrd Skynyrd mais pas loin (les frustes Dead savior, winter blades). Hormis le beau morceau-titre en ouverture (dans un genre Neil Young à son meilleur) et quelques rares honnêtes morceaux de classic rock US, on a un peu de mal à trouver un intérêt particulier à cet album.

Même l’introverti Dream is no longer than the night tourne un peu à vide. Copie carbone des Rolling Stones (Faith), titres rustiques un peu trop dans leur jus, Temporary people ne brille pas par son inventivité. On croirait plus à un album d’un groupe de reprise essayant tant bien que mal de se sortir de ses lourdes références.

Ils doivent bien s’amuser ensemble c’est sûr, nous franchement moins. En arrangeur talentueux, Arthur sauve un peu la baraque, usant de chœurs féminins et d’orgue pour arrondir quelques angles. Mais connaissant le talent du bonhomme, on se dit que cette récréation « célébrons les anciens et buvons de la bière entre potes » (qui dure depuis quelques albums déjà) a peut-être un peu trop duré.

2.5 stars (out of 5)

Par Denis Zorgniotti, le 28 jan 2009
(Benzine Magazine)

JOSEPH ARTHUR & THE LONELY ASTRONAUTS - Temporary People

Die Entdeckung von Joseph Arthur haben wir Peter Gabriel zu verdanken, auf dessen Real World Label Mitte der 90er auch sein erstes Album erschien. Richtig bekannt gemacht hat ihn das zwar nicht, auch wenn er seitdem einige weitere Platten aufgenommen hat und 2006 sein Song "In the sun" sogar von Michael Stipe und dem Sänger von COLDPLAY zu Gunsten der Opfer der Hochwasserkatastrophe von New Orleans gecovert wurde.

"Temporary People" ist ganz bestimmt nicht sein schlechtestes Werk, denn zwischen Leonard Cohen, Joe Henry, Jeff Buckley und den Stones empfiehlt sich Arthur als einprägsamer Songwriter, dessen Stücke trotz des Einsatzes von Backgroundsängerinnen und Streichern niemals weichgespült wirken, aber dennoch gut ins Ohr gehen.

Und so zeichnet "Temporary People" eine sympathische Ursprünglichkeit aus, man könnte fast von Garagerock sprechen, so wie Arthur etwa bei "Dead savior" den frühen, wilden Lou Reed zitiert.

Arthur rockt zwar immer knapp an der Grenze zum Mainstream, aber für ein Hausfrauen-Singer/Songwriter-Album à la Ryan Adams gibt es hier zu viel Gitarren-Feedback und Dissonanzen, so dass sich der Rundfunk-Musikredakteur den Einsatz dieser Songs sicher ein zweites Mal überlegt - aber das wäre sowieso nur Perlen vor die Säue werfen.

( 8 )

Thomas Kerpen (Ox-Fanzine)

"Auch Joseph Arthur (mit seinen Lonely Astronauts) ist kein Neuling auf der Singer/Songwriterbühne. Mit seinem mittlerweile siebenten Album beweist er einmal mehr, dass sein Folk-Pop keinen Vergleich zu scheuen braucht. Dass Arthur einer größeren Öffentlichkeit noch immer weitgehend unbekannt ist, ist nicht so leicht zu verstehen. Joseph Arthur kann viele Geschichten erzählen: lustige, berührende, aufrüttelnde, mahnende, gesellschaftspolitische – immer sind sie hörenswert. Die Abgeklärtheit, mit der er über die Welt und das Leben singt, überrascht, sind doch die immergültigen Ideale von Freiheit und Gerechtigkeit die treibende Kraft seines künstlerischen Schaffens. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass die neue Silberscheibe "Temporary People" nicht nur von Michael Stipe und Chris Martin geschätzt wird, sondern dass die Songs von Arthur auch die breite Aufmerksamkeit erhalten, die sie verdienen."

(from the Wiener Zeitung)

Joseph Arthur - Temporary People
Fargo/Rough Trade
Format: CD

Bislang war Joseph Arthur ja immer noch bemüht (und zwar prinzipiell vergeblich), die Magie seiner Solo-Konzerte, bei denen er sich mit elektronischen Gadgets selber sampelt und begleitet, auch irgendwie auf Tonträgern einzufangen. Dieses Mal versucht er es gar nicht erst, sondern schuf - zusammen mit seiner Begleitband The Lonely Astronauts - eine klassische Country-Pop-Scheibe im Stile etwa eines Gram Parsons. Natürlich nicht wirklich als Hommage an den gefallenen Engel, sondern als Ergebnis seiner Vorliebe für lamentöse Melodien, sein (gottseidank nach wie vor vorhandenes) Unvermögen richtig straight zu spielen und seine Fähigkeit, Indie-Rock und romantisches Songwriting auf organische Art miteinander zu verweben. Der Verzicht auf Versuche, irgendetwas Revolutionäres oder Bahnbrechendes auf die Beine zu stellen, zahlt sich hier insofern aus, als dass dieses Mal vor allen Dingen den vielen guten Songs soundmäßig keine Hypothek auferlegt wird. Das wird bestimmt nicht heißen, dass der Meister auf diesem Level verharren wird (dafür ist er einfach zu produktiv und rastlos), aber "Temporary People" ist schon ein vergleichsweise geradliniges Unterfangen geworden.

-Ullrich Maurer-
(Gaesteliste.de)