Listening to Big Thief guitarist Buck Meek’s solo work is like exploring Marvel’s cinematic universe — it offers the chance to spend more time with characters you love, while exploring worlds that feel fresh and reassuringly familiar all at once.
Much like ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You’ grew the seeds Big Thief had sown on ‘U.F.O.F’ and ‘Two Hands’, ‘Haunted Mountain’ waters the roots of 2021’s ‘Two Saviors’. The result? The best work yet from artist who’s grown into himself away from his day job.
While ‘Two Saviors’ found its anchor in loss and melancholy, ‘Haunted Mountain’ is all about love and happiness. Mood Ring sets the bohemian campfire scene, its piano flowing in a synthy undercurrent. As Meek’s vocals dip above and below the mix, assuming the role of narrator, you find yourself leafing through his diaries.
The title track is all spirited Americana and fuzzed-out grooves, capturing the moment you concede to the calls of love: “All of my life I’ve been a rounder travelling across this green land, but now that I live here on this haunted mountain, I know I’m never coming down.”
The joyous minimalist warmth of Didn’t Know You Then echoes the butterflies of seeing the one you love, while Where You’re Coming From plays poetically with percussive beats and twangy guitars as it spills the beans on love’s not-so-secret secret: we’re always changing, as individuals and couples, and that’s exciting. “Now I know you like I think I know myself, just a big mystery like everybody else, I wanna know where you’re coming from,” Meek wistfully sings.
‘Haunted Mountain’ shares its name with Jolie Holland’s upcoming album. Much like Meek’s previous solo collaborations with Adrianne Lenker, Holland’s honeydew harmonies drip into Meek’s warm delivery, creating a sensual experience that permeates the album. It’s maintained by the magic touch of producer and Big Thief collaborator Mat Davidson who, along with Meek, has carefully paced this album, as it flows like a stream through the up and the downbeat.
Meek’s ascent from ‘Two Saviors’ base camp to ‘Haunted Mountain’s’ summit is wonderful to witness, summed up neatly on closer The Rainbow: “If we believe what we’ve seen, could a lullaby rise? Could hope through the sky stream? As the rainbow grew, could a dream come true?”
Buck Meek Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon August 28 2023 - LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
Tue August 29 2023 - MANCHESTER YES (The Pink Room)
Wed August 30 2023 - LONDON Lafayette
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