On his Soloalbum the former member of Polar Strong, Hoodlum and Cranes Angels and most known as member of J.C. Sat?n stays true to his preferred sound of garage rock and pop. But this time, there is more room for a subtile approach with refined arrangements. The album includes even piano and mellotron partitions, all composed by Arthur himself. According to the guitarist, the album title sums up his musical life, and let this album be a mature sounding next step in his careerThe distinctive backing choirs on "Free" are reminiscent of an encounter between the Pole Krzysztof Komeda ("Fearless Vampire Killers", the soundtrack of "Rosemary's Baby") and the American collective Elephant 6 (Elf Power, Of Montreal, Neutarl Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control_)."The Nap" is teatime: Arthur's the host, John Fahey the guest."The Boy In The Frame" is the famous unreleased ballad of the album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". "Summer" starts off like a lullaby on the metallophone and evolves into something of a Donovan song, minus the unexpected crankshaft solo."Love bleeds from you neck" is somewhere between acid folk song and medieval lament."It's All The Same" is another surprise, with its modern mix and particularly innovative arrangements."Time Is Mine" might be the track most evocative of J.C. Sat?n rock. "She's Long Gone" will have had time to evoke Brian Wilson's Beach Boys roaming through the English countryside looking for the perfect cottage. That particular track is a real beauty.And in fact there's a lot of England in the record. "She's Hotter Than The Sun" owes just as much to T. Rex than to the ubiquitous Beatles.The album's outlandish finale is a cover of Ween's cosmic overture to "Boredom is Quiet",Get the picture? The albums name "Arthur" happens to be the title of one of the Kinks' greatest albums; a band I believe the author of this record holds in very high esteem.
