The Mirror by Buck Meek
Buck Meek has always existed in Adrianne Lenker's orbit for me, as part of Big Thief's guitarist as well as a constant collaborator of Lenker's. When I first listened to his 2nd solo record, Two Saviors, back in 2021, I thought it felt like a warm blanket, though it never quite stayed in my rotation as I was, then, more intrigued with the lusher music of Big Thief.
This album opens with Gasoline and its nonsense syllables "ooheeah lalo, faroosee mneykro", which shouldn't work but... does? In my first listen, I had thought I was just not paying attention enough.
Buck's voice has always had this quality of earnestness, and is amplified by this gentle country twang that never becomes too much for my ears. I think a lot of this is owed to it's production where it feels warm and unhurried, though I felt that the songs feel most at home when it leans country-folk rather than electric, with tracks like Soul Feeling and Pretty Flowers where he sounds most like himself.
His song writing never tries to be more than it is, which is its own kind of confidence1.
The more I get to know you, the less I know of love Is it science? Is it art? Can I learn to give away my heart?
And then God Knows Why portrays of someone using religion as armour while hurting everyone around them, with the narrator/Buck eventually turning that cruelty inward. Heart in the Mirror swings the other way entirely, landing with the narrator/Buck finding something almost childlike and joyful in his life.
With that being said, Demon is the one track that didn't fully work for me. The glitchy electric guitar grated my ears with my open-back headphones, but it's a small bump on an otherwise gentle and comforting record. If you like Adrianne Lenker but want something with more twang and a generally lighter tone, this is something you can try!
Three Songs to Start With: Gasoline, Can I Mend It, Ring Of Fire
I always thought that Buck's song writing reminded me of Adrianne's. I looked him up and was surprised to learn that they were married for a moment before they parted ways, though they seem to still have a great relationship with each other (with their respective partners) and continues to make music in both Big Thief and collaborating for their solo projects!↩