PETER HAMILTON
Staff Writer
With the recent release of his self-titled album, 26-year-old poet and heart-wrencher Adam Arcuragi has made a splash in the singer-songwriter pond and his wake is gaining momentum. A native of Philadelphia, Arcuragi has been able to channel his naturally born tendency of brotherly love into his latest folk/rock release.
Arcuragi has been able to fuse the depth of music greats — like the band Iron and Wine, today’s Indie/folk gods, and the passionate singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright — into this delightful full-length album that can be listened to all the way through as effortlessly as a Sunday afternoon nap.
The album opens with “All the Bells,” a song about young love that has ended. The song holds absolutely nothing back. Arcuragi does not take too long to let his heart spill directly out of his chest into the empty room he has created for the listener. The vocals sound like the upset stomach of Neutral Milk Hotel, Georgia’s indie rock claim to fame. “All the Bells” immediately lets you know that this is not going to be an album to just play in the background. It is a stark warning that you better have a good 50 minutes on your hands because once this is ball is rolling it is not going to stop.
As if song No. 1 did not thoroughly convince the listener that this album was going to be a winner, Arcuragi, without any hesitation, drops “1981 (Or Waving at You as We Part at Light Speed Will Look Like I’m Standing Still).” Arcuragi has the power to make a bad break-up seem good with “1981.” This driving ballad of good memories instantly makes one feel as if they have heard this song a million times before.
Halfway through the album “RSMPA” opens up with a church-like colloquialism, but its sharp skepticism about one’s salvation is ironic in contrast with the song’s theme, and its rhythmic hiccups and off-balanced guitar seem in-sync with Arcuragi’s vocals. If one had to choose a song on this album that their parents would like, this might be it. Its friendly lyrics and soothing melody is to the ears like aloe lotion to a blistering sunburn. One does not know whether the soothing cool of the music overrides the burning pain of the reality projected in the song.
Finishing off the second part of his creation, Arcuragi introduces us into his matured and intelligent double-personality with “Part of the Sky” and “’The Dog is Dead, Amen,’” which closely parallel the theme and sound of Iron and Wine more than any other tracks on the album. The rusty microphone he must have used only compliments to the sound of the weathered plucking on his acoustic guitar.
Like the glue on the backing of the pages of a book, the tacky strip that keeps the contents together, “Broken Throat” gathers the entire CD and binds it tight allowing all the emotion on the album to make sense. Arcuragi’s plea to God to remember him, “Broken Throat” is listened to like a story that one might hear from a retired preacher ready to trade in his chips for eternal life. Strongly resembling the story-like folk artist Maxel Toft, Arcuragi has successfully taken a piece of Toft’s spirit and made it his own.
Arcuragi’s self-titled project can be something like a new best friend for the searching listener. But watch out, because you might get too attached and find yourself falling in love.
09-28-2006
