Arthur Russell is a big inspiration for me. His unconventional voice with his cello is a combination that has resonated with me ever since he was first recommended to me by a friend a couple of years ago. When I found out there was new material of his being released, especially live recordings, I was pretty ecstatic.
Open Vocal Phrases Where Songs Come In and Out feels incredibly intimate. From the soft-spoken introduction at the beginning of ‘That’s the Very Reason’ to just how warm and near his voice sounds, as his cello envelopes you, it’s so comforting. The hum of his cello emanates a soft heat, like the sun behind Russell on the cover, basking you in a warm orange glow. What struck me is how much these could easily be studio recordings. Something about Russell’s music transcends that barrier, feeling equally earnest in the studio and in a live setting. As an opening track, ‘That’s the Very Reason’ relaxes you into the album with a calming, almost sleepy tone.
‘Tower of Meaning/Rabbit’s Ear/Home Away From Home’ replaces the warming glow of the first track with a simmering fuzziness, almost like that lulling warmth has been distorted by those shimmering/wavy lines you see on a hot summer’s day. The softness returns as the track progresses, with a shifting cello line that is pulled in and out of effects giving it an otherworldly quality. There’s a feeling of floating, like drifting in low orbit and observing what’s below.
‘Happy Ending’ has one of my favourite vocal melodies of the lot, really showcasing the full breadth of Russell’s voice, going from pops of strength to recoiling into shy softness. It transitions seamlessly into ‘All-Boy All-Girl/Tiger Stripes/You Can’t Hold Me Down’ which opens with a gentle plucking of the cello. I’m trying to keep myself from using some type of transport reference in every paragraph here but there is a sense of transience about the music here, like looking out the window of a train on a long journey. I think it’s something about the mix of influences that gives it a sense of alien familiarity. Feeling out of place in a familiar place. Maybe I’m reaching pretentiously (or worse, projecting) but I couldn’t shake that feeling here.
The intermission of ‘Introductions’ is really interesting, partly because he gives the songs different names than the album does. There are ones that are shared but ‘I See a Happy Ending For You’ has been shortened to just ‘Happy Ending’ and ‘White Car’ I can only assume is ‘All-Boy All Girl’.
‘Hiding Your Present From You/School Bell’ features a distorted cello sound into extraterrestrial bleeps and bloops and a chunky bassline. The bleeps and bloops later bubble to the surface, dominating the track with an undistorted cello instead laden with decay underneath. The way Russell layered effects, his cello and his voice to create such a soundscape with limited tools is amazing, and I think this track is a perfect example. ‘Too Early to Tell’ distorts a plucky bassline under his quiet, confessional voice. The cello seems to distort more and more as the track goes on, almost dissolving as the performance comes to a close, ending the recording with earned applause.
I’m not usually a big fan of live albums, but any excuse to hear more Arthur Russell material is good in my books. The way these songs meld into one another, forming out of the liquid remains of the last is so endearing and his playing and voice are – as always – so engaging. It’s worth checking out, if not as an introduction to the music of Arthur Russell, then as very compelling supplemental listening.
Arthur Russell: Open Vocal Phrases, Where Songs Come In and Out – 18 April 2025 (Rough Trade / Audika)
