The first of two new albums from US singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur, NUCLEAR DAYDREAM is the album that feels like the spiritual follow up to his breakthrough OUR SHADOWS WILL REMAIN.

Like that record, NUCLEAR DAYDREAM acts as a showcase for Arthur's talents as a talented and individual singer/songwriter, though lacking a little of that records polish and sheen.  This is a more rough and ready sounding affair, Joseph Arthur obviously more concerned this time round with capturing a looser more live sounding recording session; perhaps a side effect of his incredible live shows during the past couple of years.  Opener TOO MUCH TO HIDE feels like a hangover from OUR SHADOWS WILL REMAIN, Arthur in his natural comfort zone of acoustic troubadour, his singer/songwriter persona as effective and intoxicating as ever.  BLACK LEXUS finds him covering similar ground, gentle acoustic guitar strums underpinning the songs mesmerising melodic intent perfectly.  ENOUGH TO GET AWAY is the sound of Joseph Arthur getting back towards his more louche and lo fi beginnings.  Against a rumbling bass line and shimmering guitar work, Arthur croons in that rich lush baritone of his, his distinctive vocals eventually joined by the unexpected addition of a children's choir and swathes of synthesiser.

With SLIDE AWAY, Arthur moves towards a more expansive and far reaching sound, a country tinged ballad that feels much more dynamic and vast than previous records have hinted at; Beatles-esque guitar licks and rich backing vocals lending this a full band feel as opposed to his usual solo artist schtick.  The accordion and acoustic guitar combo of YOU ARE FREE is a Dylan-esque slice of pop folk that allows those rich sounding vocals to shine through whilst the more left field AUTOMATIC SITUATION injects processed beats and swathes of synth to proceedings, Arthur moving in very Beck like musical reinvention directions.

Elsewhere here, DON'T TELL YOUR EYES is pretty acoustic folk, DON'T GIVE UP ON PEOPLE a piano led ballad that manages to skillfully merge The Beatles and Elliott Smith and title track NUCLEAR DAYDREAM a chance to hear Joseph Arthur crooning effortlessly over his gentle acoustic strum.

Already one of the most captivating and charismatic live performers you'll come across today, genius songwriter, artist - Joseph Arthur continues to surprise and amaze.  With NUCLEAR DAYDREAM, he continues to diversify and delight, a record that well and truly cements his position as a singer/songwriter of pure brilliance.

Joseph Arthur was born in Akron, Ohio, became a song-writing obsessive in Atlanta, Georgia, and later moved to New York, where he still lives.  In 1996, Joseph was a guitar salesman working for the minimum wage at Clark's Music in Atlanta.  Frustrated, broke, musing a life of crime, he returned home one day to find a message on his answer phone that would change everything.  The calm, quintessentially English voice he heard belonged to Peter Gabriel.  The surreal and the hyper-real merged, Gabriel and his buddy Lou Reed coming to see Joseph play a showcase gig in New York after which they all dined alongside Dolly Parton.  Soon, Joseph would become the first rock artist to sign to Gabriel's Real World label, releasing BIG CITY SECRETS in 1996, the 7-song EP VACANCY in 1999, COME TO WHERE I'M FROM in 2000, and the aforementioned REDEMPTION'S SON in 2002.

uclear Daydream is Arthur’s fifth full-length album, a lushly composed collection of 12 original and epic songs of romance and despair, from one of the world’s most prolific artists. The album was released in the US late last year to widespread acclaim. Vanity Fair described the album as “a glorious work of art”, while Entertainment Weekly called it “an epic tale of romantic loss that is haunting, mournful, and ultimately hopeful.” 

Let’s Just Be was written immediately after Arthur’s last tour with his new band The Lonely Astronauts. Filled with ideas, the band found themselves entrenched in a Los Angeles studio for three weeks. “The idea for us was to record all of these new songs straight to tape using only 16 tracks with no reverb, sort of a back to basics like how the Stones or Neil Young used to record,” says Arthur. 

Not content with writing and developing two new albums this year, Arthur has just launched his own gallery and performance space on Jay Street, New York, titled The Museum of Modern Arthur (MOMAR). Well known as an artist both musically and on canvas, the development of MOMAR follows on from the release of Arthur’s first book of paintings entitled We Almost Made It, which included the instrumental album The Invisible Parade in May 2006.

Joseph Arthur was born in Akron, Ohio, became a song-writing obsessive in Atlanta, Georgia, and later moved to New York, where he still lives. In 1996 Arthur would become the first rock artist to sign to Peter Gabriel’s Real World label, releasing four albums on the imprint between 1996 and 2002. In July 2005 Arthur released the album Our Shadows Will Remain in the UK through 14th Floor Records. The album was rapturously commended with Time Out describing it as “a series of beautifully crafted songs. Majestic” and the Sunday Times “as good as music gets”.

Joseph Arthur>www.josepharthur.com