REVIEWSJoseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts, ‘Temporary People’

7

• SPIN Rating:7 of 10

• • Listen:

    Spotify

Label: Lonely Astronaut

Joseph Arthur's obsessive pursuit of first-take ecstasy can produce moments of thrilling immediacy or create an unappealing mess (see 2007's Let's Just Be). Having already churned out four EPs this year, the Brooklyn dynamo mostly gets it right here. Taking after Dylan, Neil Young, and others who prize grit over polish, Arthur puts his sandpaper rasp to good use on frayed, rootsy tales such as the sneering "Dead Savior" and the ramshackle "Heart's a Soldier." Most importantly, he seems to have great fun venting, which gives Temporary People an irresistible, what gives? spirit.

BUY: