HT006

“‘1981’ feels like the song of the century.”
-Patrick Rapa, Philadelphia City Paper, Mar 16, 2006

Philadelphia City Paper: Top 21 Albums of 2006 “For those who prefer their regret rock dappled with sunlight and hope (think Nick Drake or Hope Sandoval), local hero Arcuragi and his Philly-rock all-star supporting cast manage a neat trick: a bittersweet, lyrical debut album that’s intimate without feeling autobiographical; you’re never quite sure whose shoes he’s gazing at. The songs are introspective by proxy, as if 11 folks with slight serotonin imbalances each consigned Arcuragi and his burnt-honey baritone to express their elliptical inner narratives. The standout in an album full of gospel-tinged, literate vignettes is “1981,” which just may be the catchiest, most repeat-playable track of the year, and is almost certainly the best song ever written about the special theory of relativity.

-John Vettese, Philadelphia City Paper, Dec. 28, 2006

“I don’t know much about [Adam Arcuragi], but I found myself putting in [his] CD in my player over and over again.”
-Bob Boilen, NPR’s all things considered
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Author: Paul Bozzo
Source: Treble 04.05.2006
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Certain aspects of music have stayed generally constant throughout existence. For the most part, people agree that a catchy chorus that divides a song into separate sections is a desirable characteristic in a song. Most would say that shorter is better, and an untrained voice is not an asset. Adam Arcuragi seems to have disregarded most of these rules and created songs people aren’t used to hearing on his self-titled debut album. The album is an adventurous one, and it seems as if the risk was worth taking. Arcuragi’s instrumentation is steady and rhythmic, but his furious energy and his raw voice add grit to his sometimes hypnotic ballads. Arcuragi’s songs also do not clearly distinguish between what is chorus and what is regular verse. Instead, Arcuragi uses different inflections upon his voice and his instrument to highlight certain areas of a song. This provides a great vehicle for Arcuragi’s sophisticated lyrics and unceasing rhythm of words, as the song becomes glimpses into a photo album of lyrical imagery.

Adam Arcuragi is a literary renaissance man, writing poems and plays, and has been writing songs for about five years. He has recorded in a large number of locales, including an antique house, a porch, and eventually a studio. His wandering ways of performing and recording give him the image of a nomadic troubadour, singing of his travels across this country, with people stepping in when needed to fill in whatever holes come along on the trip. He did not shy away from bringing along the help of many people, including Mike Kennedy (Mazarin/Lefty’s Deceiver), Charlie Hall, and Rick Flom. While Arcuragi holds the forefront in all of the songs with vocals and guitar, all of his help is in the background, adding a little spice and ambiance to the songs that play off very well.

The album’s first track is a paradigm for the rest of the album, as all of the elements that make Arcuragi’s songs his are present. The rhythm of the entire song is set at the start with Michael Spinka’s vibraphone before Arcuragi chimes in on guitar. From here, Arcuragi does a wonderful job of molding his lyrics to stay within this rhythm. The lyrics burst out of the steady rhythm of the song by their plain inventiveness combined with marvelous imagery of “these precious tired fingers will play upon the sinews of my legs.” “1981” features a strong strumming of Arcuragi’s guitar and a somewhat coarser voice than usual, creating a sound similar to The Mountain Goats. The album tones down in the middle creating mellow tunes like “Little Yellow Boat” and “Part of the Sky.” The last three tracks are songs that break the mold of the rest of the album with the somber “The Dog is Dead, Amen,” the staccato feel of “Philadelphia (The Screen)” and the comparably celebratory “The Christmas Song.”

Challenging songwriters are a blessing to the industry, making sure that popular musicians are always on their toes, never letting new sounds stagnate. Arcuragi’s unique method and performance of relatively simple songs will surely turn a few heads and get the rest up to speed.

Similar Albums:
Matt Pond PA – Several Arrows Later
Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree
Bright Eyes – Letting Off the Happiness

Author: Mike Conklin
Source: L Magazine
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Author: Brian McMurray
Source: Harmonium
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There’s a reason some artists are dubbed with the title of singer/songwriter. Let’s face it, there are a lot of musicians that both sing and write their own music, but not all of them are considered singer/songwriters. It’s no surprise that most singer/songwriters use little more than some acoustic guitar and their natural talent. That’s really all they need. Singer/songwriters are artists who are incredibly gifted on both accounts, and Adam Arcuragi is one of these artists.

The interesting thing about Arcuragi’s self-titled debut is that these facets of his talent seem to be showcased on different songs. Take the opening track “All the Bells” for instance. The songwriting here is as good as on any other track, but Arcuragi’s slightly gritty rasp combined with the mid-tempo melody obscures the solid songwriting. The listener finds themselves paying more attention to the music than the lyrics, perhaps rightfully so.

Recorded as almost an afterthought, “1981” is more of the same. Arcuragi has admitted his voice was a little shot at the time he recorded the track, but it gives the song some extra personality as he belts “Between you and me / I’ll be singing through my teeth / And smiling as I go / And the words may all be wrong / But I still sing every song / my last breath will lay low.” Still, I found myself tapping to the beat rather than singing along with the excellent lyrics.

On the other side of the spectrum, tracks like the aptly-titled “Delicate” and “Part of the Sky” are considerably slower, and Arcuragi’s voice loses its grit, thus it is much easier to fully digest the lyrics present. “Delicate” swoons along beautifully as Eve Miller (Matt Pond PA), Mike Kennedy (Audible, Mazarin, Lefty’s Deceiver), and Peter Wonsowski add some cello, guitar, and singing saw respectively. “Part of the Sky” is just Arcuragi, an acoustic guitar, and some songwriting that’s impossible to ignore.

It’s a song about death, but it’s an accepted view of death. Maybe even a hopeful one as many of the lyrics such as “The part of the sky where the sun / Comes up is where someday / I will eventually to by / But please celebrate don’t be sad / Cause I will meet you there / And like the locusts we can sing until we die” indicate.

When the album does add extra instrumentation, it’s added in just the right places, as with the aforementioned “Delicate” or the slick Wurlitzer on “Little Yellow Boat”. What results is a self-titled debut that’s personal and beautiful. It’s hard to deny Arcuragi’s talent, and his debut has christened the birth of another amazing singer/songwriter for us to drown our tears in.