Buck Curran – No Love is Sorrow
Obsolete Recordings – Out Now
In 2006, Buck Curran briefly owned the incredible Stefan Sobell acoustic guitar that Martin Simpson used on his When I was on Horseback album, which Buck played on two of his psyche-folk duo Arborea albums. The guitar also apparently influenced his work as a luthier and the two guitars he built and used on his debut solo album Immortal Light. Most recently, this busy polymath curated the Ten Years Gone compilation of pieces in tribute to the late Jack Rose, and now we have his third solo album proper, No Love is Sorrow. The austere black and white cover art and comparatively straight-up title are somewhat deceptive. Still, those familiar with Buck’s previous work will not be surprised to learn that this is a hugely diverse and intriguing set of songs, incorporating beautifully played acoustic melodies as naturally as it does epic narrative-driven soundscapes and electric guitar workouts. For nearly an hour of album tracks, plus alternate versions, we experience the vast imagination and creative energy of this musician.
Consider ‘One Evening’ leading into ‘Chromatical’ as an example. The former is ominous and anxious, with layered vocals and electric guitars over strummed acoustic chords. Our narrator tells us that ‘pale wicked days surely are a-comin”, and while the music plays out like an apocalyptic soundtrack, we are further informed that ‘a babe grows inside her warm belly’, and then that ‘there’s gun smoke and wars and rumors of more’. The whole comparison is as fascinating and brooding as ‘Chromatical’ is innocent and pure. A spacious and light piece of acoustic picking, this tune is like the sun setting on a beach and is part of six pieces on here that focus on the method of improvising with the acoustic guitar. ‘Blue Raga’, which begins the album, is another of these but different in that it centres around a bright and technical little piece of playing that gradually begins to involve other more anxious notes and phrases before jumping back to its reassuring core. The title track is another under this umbrella and is the longest here at seven and a half minutes. Like ‘Chromatical’, space is key here, and Buck works wonders, with the ghostly slide guitar creating an unsettling background. The main guitar part is played for the most part on low sometimes buzzing strings that inject more unease into things. It is a big multi-layered tune that is quite mesmerising and is my favourite on the list.
In a shift of mood but just as welcome is ‘War Behind the Sun’, another significant seven-minute number, but played electric and with plenty of muscle. To me though, it still seems quite closely related to ‘No Love is Sorrow’ in terms of its use of space for the initial parts, although when the layers begin to build, this tapestry becomes quite dense and spooky, with eerie waving drones and distorted bent strings really taking you off somewhere vast and cavernous. It’s ace stuff and again such a change from following track ‘Lucia’, which finishes the set. Another ‘experimental tone poem’ on acoustic guitar, this one has more in common with ‘Blue Raga’, although it’s a more forthright and positive piece that brings things to a close in a bright and strong mood. Indeed, it is this optimism that shines through on a bewitching album that pulls the listener in many directions and exposes them to many emotions, created through splendid instrumental music, performed by a master, or narrative driven songs built around powerful writing. Composer, musician, luthier and curator Buck Curran is a man of many talents, as No Love is Sorrow further testifies.
Read about this video in an earlier Folk Radio feature here.
Order No Love is Sorrow via Bandcamp: https://obsoleterecordings.bandcamp.com/album/no-love-is-sorrow
Photo Credit: Sarp Tuncer