Buck Meek

Haunted Mountain

4AD

Sep 13, 2023
Internet Unique

By Chris Thiessen

A Haunted Mountain appears an odd locale for joviality. Nonetheless, Buck Meek is the form of artist whose light voice cracks and nation heat might persuade essentially the most barren of locations to sprout with new life because it welcomes the solar’s embrace. So it solely is sensible that the title observe on Meek’s third solo album—and most up-to-date launch since his group, Massive Thief, launched the acclaimed Dragon New Heat Mountain I Consider in You—is haunted not by terrors, however a shimmering glimpse of life-giving transcendence. It’s the form of place you wish to keep so long as you may, and Meek tries, claiming he’s “by no means coming down once more.” On this Haunted Mountain, Meek, aided by his folk-rocking instrumentalists, delivers his fullest and most full challenge so far.

The place Meek’s earlier album, Two Saviors, sounded just like the spare sounds of a casual entrance porch jam at twilight, Haunted Mountain presents bona fide rockers (“Cyclades,” “Undae Dunes”) alongside the anticipated whispery folks ballads (“Lullabies,” “Secret Aspect”). At occasions, Meek’s tender warble is unable to maintain up with the wealthy rhythms and boisterous guitars, which steal the present on “Cyclades” and “Temper Ring.” Nonetheless, the textured depth and vivid storytelling all through the album are in a position to carry the load. Meek’s singing nonetheless shines on the softer tracks, the place every phrase crackles by smiling lips about love-filled scenes and blissful recollections.

In moments, Meek’s twinkly-eyed infatuation with infatuation registers as overly quaint, like when he presents over-earnest, adolescent love notes on “Paradise” (“Inform me how you bought heaven in your eyes”). But, just some seconds later, the identical music captures the gorgeous fragility of affection in harmonies as delicate as sugar glass. We regularly expertise the thrill of latest love or new life on this means, like they’re moments away from shattering into 1,000,000 items. So we cherish it, adorn it; we climb life’s summits, and promise to by no means come down once more. Like every of us, Meek is aware of we should descend from the mountaintop in the end, so he sings lullabies and lets the solar shine on naked pores and skin so long as he can. (www.buckmeekmusic.com)

Writer ranking: 7.5/10