Eccentric, electric and melancholic, are the tip of the iceberg of describing Buck Meek’s new album titled “The Mirror” ; it comes a short six months after the release of the commonly known band he is a member of, Big Thief. A short turnaround between projects allows Meek to continue in the same creative mind he had working on “Double Infinity,” and it shows.
Meek uses a raw sense of vocals; something to notice while listening to tracks like “Gasoline” or “Can I Mend It?” would be the style it was recorded in. The music sounds the way it would sound in a natural setting, allowing for a polished yet simplistic tone, similar to a campfire sing-along but instead of all happy-go-lucky tracks, you’ll be hearing Meek sing about past regrets, current flames, and emotional downpoints.
Imagery is a commonly used tool throughout all of Big Thief’s family. Meek is no exception to this rule. Lyricism is beautiful inside and out on “The Mirror”; “Ring Of Fire” appeals to the heart of the listener. The chorus repeating “Ring of fire, ring of gold” is a dig at marriage. Balancing the difficulties of life with the difficulties of marriage forces a person to work with their partner or disperse. A ring of fire would make you want to leave and could be used to describe the difficulties of going through marriage—literally going through a ring of fire in an Evel Knievel fashion.
Albums in this genre can have an effect on thinking too. Only the heartfelt ones, the albums where the artist’s tone slaps you in the face with traces of personality only someone who feels deeply could create. Meek feels and makes you feel too. The lyric “Backwards love is easier to read when / When it’s tattooed on my heart in the mirror” is both creative and personal. The entire track “Heart In The Mirror” is a beautiful recreation of self-consciousness and self-doubt. Beautiful lines relate to the singer’s struggles with negative feedback from critics and fans, in addition to Meek’s challenges of creating music that’s for him and not for other people.
Working in the music world is similar to working under a microscope. Every action you take is known by people you’d never expect to know it; mistakes become public, actions affect you every time, and you have an audience larger than yourself to speak to. Every blunder that happens in your life, people know. Meek reflects that in his work, with pride. He created work so personal and so good it creates sympathy for the artist even if they haven’t done anything wrong.
