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Watch Richard Buckner’s Poetic ‘When You Tell Me How It Is’ Video

Richard Buckner

Richard Buckner’s most recent album, 2011’s Our Blood, resulted from a painstaking recording process. So, to avoid the quicksand of overthinking his follow-up, the alt-country vet handed material off to producer Tucker Martine (Decemberists, Neko Case, My Morning Jacket) as soon as it was ready. “Tucker understood the urgency in me to tie the whole thing up before I fell into the same trap that I’d had finishing Our Blood,” Buckner said recently (via Merge Records). 

Now Buckner’s got a new full-length, Surrounded, set for a September 3 release. “When I had finally finished Our Blood, I felt like I’d just survived a stroll through a mine field,” he said. “With Surrounded, it was more of a sensation that I’d successfully organized a messy desk.” 

That theme of organization carries over to the just-released video for “When You Tell Me How It Is,” a rickety highlight from Buckner’s latest. Directed, shot, and edited by Robert Ribera, the short deals almost exclusively in immaculate close-ups: Tightly framed shots of an abandoned, rusted-out train car, silhouetted profile views of Buckner, and nosy peeks at his guitar can all be found above. 

Pre-orders of Surrounded are currently available through Merge. Scroll down for Buckner’s upcoming tour dates.

Richard Buckner tour dates: 

August 17 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog
August 18 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Cafe
August 19 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
August 20 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s
August 21 – Columbus, OH @ Cafe Bourbon Street
September 8 – Richmond, VA @ Capital Ale House *
September 9 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern *
September 11 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Cafe *
September 13 – Wilmington, DE @ World Cafe Live at The Queen *
September 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live *
September 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Littlefield *
September 17 – New Haven, CT @ Cafe 9 *
September 18 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met *
September 19 – Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse *
September 20 – Boston, MA @ Museum of Fine Arts *

* = with Califone