Chances are you’ve never heard of Arthur Russell. Up until his death in 1992, his music was relatively unknown outside of the New York music scene that embraced his brilliant fusion of cello with experimental electronic rock and orchestral music. The apex of his career was his third studio album, 1986’s World of Echo, an epic 18-song masterpiece that highlights his masterful blending of genres like classical, jazz, and dance.
Thankfully, a post-mortem surge of interest in his music has uncovered many gems he’d written and recorded that had never seen the light of day. Since his death, four full length albums and one EP of his music have been released; one of his songs, “This Is How We Walk on the Moon,” appeared in a UK T-Mobile commercial last year. Finally, a documentary about his life entitled Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell was released in 2008 to great critical success.
Songs to check out:
“A Little Lost,” Another Thought, 1994. A harmonious pop song that incorporates Russell’s cello and acoustic guitar into a poignant, lush love ballad with beautiful images and stirring calls of affection.
“She's the Star/ I Take This Time,” World of Echo, 1986. A minimalist electronic rock track reminiscent of Radiohead’s work on Kid A and Amnesiac, albeit a bit more lyrically conventional. Simply incredible.
“That’s Us / Wild Combination,” Calling Out of Context, 2004. If you like synth-based indie pop, you’ll love this track. Russell shows that he can write cross-genre songs with the best of them, highlighted here by a beautiful fusion of pop and electronic sounds.
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