AVIDIGI

We’ve waxed lyrical about Richard at some considerable length on this site before now, so suffice to say the man made two of the most important songs albums of the nineties, end of story. Or not. Since then a series of releases have appeared on his new adoptive home, french Fargo, interspersed with sporadic and inspirational live appearances. Here, an unexpected collaboration with ex-Mekon Jon Langford, conducted three years ago in Sally Timms’ apartment in Chicago yields three new compositions from each, and three co-written tunes. From “Rolling of the eyes” a devilled slide riff shows this to be a true and surprising meeting of minds. The duo play most of the instruments themselves, Langford seems to foster Buckners’ willingness to really cut loose, which has been sensed for a few albums now, but seldom so well executed. It’s a breezy half hour nine tune excursion, Buckner’s demented take on appalachian moan applied to some of the most original phrasing we’ve heard never fails to scare me. “Sweet anybody” is a prime example, and regardless of my somewhat ambivalent feelings towards Langford bless him, anything new from Richard is positively obligatory in our book. -- Boomkat