LUKE ROBERTS

The Iron Gates at Throop and Newport

[Thrill Jockey]

After writing most of his first album (last year’s Big Bells and Dime Songs) on borrowed guitars, Luke Roberts finally got an instrument of his own—a Collings 0002H, to be precise. The sudden luxury allowed him more time to work on songs for this follow-up. Extra time aside, Roberts’ latest retains the arid feel of his debut, and the songs sound well-worn and timeless. His voice is plain, catching the notes of his melodies the way a trickle of water traces a trail in the dust. He picks out accompaniment on that new guitar and sings with a desolate air, as though the words are the first he’s spoken aloud after a long stretch of solitude, and it makes for music at once riveting and deeply lonesome. –Eric R. Danton

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