Joseph Arthur & Peter Buck

Arthur Buck New West Records

Seasoned songsmiths collide in frenzied popathon Old pals Peter Buck and fellow songwriter Joseph Arthur met up by chance in Mexico last year and spontaneously began collaborating on material. “I started showing him songs,” Arthur tells us. “But he was like, ‘That’s cool. Now check this out’. So I put my guitar down and began singing over his changes, and it was magical.” The marriage of styles is a fruitful one as both reside in similar musical territories – melodic verses, catchy choruses all set to atmospheric electric and layered acoustic instruments that gel together with an enviable symmetry. There’s obviously a flavour of R.E.M. to the proceedings but not slavishly so, with Arthur’s prowess as a tunesmith adding its own unique brand of colour. [DM] Standout track: If You Wake Up In Time For fans of: R.E.M., Dhani Harrison