Following the release of Unicorn Song in May, guitarist and songwriter Buck Curran has unveiled ‘ILiad (Slight Return)’, the second single to be taken from his forthcoming ninth solo album, Far Driven Sun, set for release on August 29th via Obsolete Recordings.
The new single sees Curran’s intricate guitar work powerfully augmented by a full rhythm section, featuring the harmonic flow of Nataly Kozlova on bass and the dynamic drumming of Francesco Di Lenge. ‘ILiad (Slight Return)’ finds Curran returning to his elemental musical roots: a deep exploration of the ambient and resonant qualities of the acoustic steel-string guitar in alternate tunings.
Far Driven Sun marks a significant reunion for Curran. After an 18-year separation, he has been reunited with a rare ‘Butterfly’ Model 1 acoustic guitar, crafted by the renowned luthier Stefan Sobell in Northumberland, England, in 1990. This is the very instrument used to record the first two albums by his celebrated duo, Arborea, and its return has inspired the core of the new album.
Here are Arborea performing on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert (thirteen years ago):
On Far Driven Sun, Curran masterfully creates idiosyncratic and ethereal soundscapes, harnessing the guitar’s sonorous fundamental voice, incredible sustain, and shimmering overtones. The compositions are further enhanced by the use of a brass slide and an EBow, resulting in music that is both intricate and subtly powerful, with a mystical and plaintive quality.
While much of the album focuses on Curran’s solo instrumental work, the collaborations are key highlights. Alongside the full-band arrangement of ‘ILiad (Slight Return)’, Nataly Kozlova also lends her flowing bass lines to ‘Unicorn Song’, a track tenderly named by Buck’s daughter, Lucia. The album is described as a joyful and creative exploration of aural colour and resonance, filled with reflections and ruminations on the eternal cosmos and life.
This new work follows his 2024 release, One Evening and Other Folk Songs, which was praised by KLOF Mag as a “hypnotic and transportive journey.” Far Driven Sun continues Curran’s ever-evolving musical path, promising an album rich with space, tonal colour, and profound musicality.
‘ILiad (Slight Return)’ is out now. The album Far Driven Sun will be released on August 29th via Obsolete Recordings.
Pre-Order the album here: https://obsoleterecordings.bandcamp.com/album/far-driven-sun
Robbie Basho Celebration – Saturday, 16 August at Theatreship, London
Broadside Hacks have announced a special Basho celebration onboard Theatreship, London (a 1913 cargo barge). Performing on Robbie Basho’s 12-string guitar will be Buck Curran, the current owner of the guitar, Gemma Khawaja and Toby Hay. Curran is a long-time admirer of Basho and also curated and produced the highly regarded Basho tribute album, “We are All One, In the Sun”.
“In an era when America was deeply entrenched in a war in Southeast Asia, with much social unrest back home, Berkeley, California–based instrumentalist and singer Robbie Basho romanticised historical and mythical things, faraway places, cultures, and religions. Within those tumultuous times, it’s not surprising he created an alternate universe of mystical, spiritual music using a century-old 12-string of mysterious origin.
“When Basho acquired the guitar in the early 1960s, the top had been smashed, so he got a violinmaker to replace it. The refurbished instrument, its four-piece German spruce top distinguished by a striped centre panel and curly figuring on the lower right bout, can be seen on the covers of The Falconer’s Arm ll (1967) and Art of the Acoustic String Guitar 6 & 12 (1979). Its new top, rosette, and purfling reveal the craftsmanship of an adept luthier, improving on this unique guitar thought to have originally been made in Mexico.”