A Little Lost

Recorded in the mid ’70s, the Orange Mountain reissue of Arthur Russell’s Another Thought is a temporal vortex just waiting to suck you into its gravitational pull. Russell’s quirky tunes are seductive and utterly revealing, as the artist’s heart falls from its perch on his sleeve and onto the floor, landing right near the spike upon which his cello rests. But Russell doesn’t just coast on his vulnerability alone: the album goes astray, digressing into disco beats, barely discernable rants, and instrumental freakouts. Perhaps the best entry point into Russell’s unique sound is the melancholic “A Little Lost.” Here Russell’s electric cello scratches receive acoustic guitar accompaniment as the artist’s voice probingly delivers a simple, yet haunting melody line that will be stuck inside your head long after the CD ends.

—RN