After some five years between releases, Buckner reemerged this year with another searing cycle of songs, "Our Blood," on relatively new label home Merge. As one might expect from Buckner, his sound hasn't changed much -- the sometimes punishing, sometimes caressing guitar strums are there, as are the loops and curls of his phrasing, driving home his unrhymed lines -- but it doesn't need to. You can tell you're in the presence of a serious artist from the first note.
For this Live at KDHX session, Buckner gives a haunting, solo acoustic take on four of the single-word-titled songs from "Our Blood." From the sliding strings of "Collusion," to the gentle chord changes of "Confession," to the charging "Thief" on through the final dark tones of "Traitor" and its warning: "Watch that temper now / Is it worth it, wasted? / How far will you get?"
How far? As far as a good song can go.
