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Our Shadows Will Remain is J. Arthur's fourth studio album, and it's an incredibly relevant record. It is a work born from the times we live in, times of war, terrorism, cultural conformity.
The lyrics of the 12 songs that make up the album focus on all the violence, sadness, loneliness, and contradictions of the human race, while the sound is darker and more shadowy than ever.
In Ohio is the intro where Arthur's ethereal voice paints this scene of death and loneliness, followed by the irresistible Can't Exist and the bleak Stumble And Pain.
Devil's Broom is one of the best rock songs ever conceived, Echo Park a chillingly spectral ballad, and Even Tho is simply majestic.
The second half of the album is even darker, with harsher arrangements, and the voice and melody lie in the shadows waiting to explode in all their splendor, as in Puppets and I Am, or in the electrofolk ballads Wasted and Failed, sketched out with just a few but brilliant chords from the guitar and keyboard.
The album closes with two masterpieces, A Smile That Explodes, a simply perfect song, and Leave Us Alone (probably the most beautiful song of the year), fascinating, unsettling, with one of the most beautiful lyrics ever written.
Our Shadows Will Remain is not an easy record, but listen after listen, the songs reveal their secrets, displaying all their majesty.
"Even after we are dead our shadows will remain" so sings J. Arthur in Even Tho and it's really true: twelve shadows, twelve songs that continue to sing even after the music is over.
Also noteworthy is the stunning cover art and the beautiful bonus track All Of Our Hands which can be downloaded from his official website www.josepharthur.com
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