For Scott & Mike

I stumbled upon this today. It's about Joseph "Doom & Gloom" Arthur, the guy who opened up for Wilco in Atlanta. From www.popmatters.com :

Joseph Arthur, Our Shadows Will Remain (Vector) Joseph Arthur will be one of a handful opening acts for R.E.M. later this year and for good reason. This album begins with "In Ohio" that sees the musician channeling Brian Wilson through a Neil Young vocal. But he shifts gears instantly with "Can't Exist", a roots-cum-gospel feel that sounds like a poor man's U2 behind a lovely wall of sound. Fans of Hawksley Workman would cling to the slower and darker "Stumble And Pain" with it orchestral touches but Arthur gets mired too much in the thick hip-hop backbeat near the end. If you could envision a gin-soaked Richard Ashcroft or the Stereophonics' Kelly Jones, you would get the soul-pop gist behind "Devil's Broom". "It's hard to stay alive when you don't know how to live," he sings. The highlight is the somber "Echo Park" that is his best "Unplugged" song this far but "Even Tho" smacks of being a smidgeon too Meat Loaf-ish slick. Another strong tune is The Cure-like "Puppets" that comes off quite sweet. "Failed" has ambient touches and is quite minimal for the usually eclectic musician. Fortunately he gets the album soaring again with a harder, grittier "I Am". It's another quality album from one slowly moving out from under the shadows! — Jason MacNeil