Speaking of gently mournful musical comfort food from idiosyncratic quasi-pop minds with impossibly unique high-register voices: Hopefully a steady reissue program and a major 21st-century bump in his press profile means more than a few Idolator readers are already familiar with the work of Arthur Russell, who daydreamed through 20 years juggling concurrent (and equally rewarding) gigs as spacey interloper in the disco mainstream, avant-rock/dub-folk/electro-country singer-songwriter, and “minimalist” new music composer/cellist before passing away from AIDS-related complications in 1992.
If not–and if you have any interest in things like shaking it to outré funk, laughing at corn-related surrealism, and boggling at how one Iowa boy could grow up to be such a sui generis polymath–you should seriously think about purchasing the 2004 collection The World Of Arthur Russell, containing the winsome “A Little Lost,” a spare little expression of utter devotion that everyone would probably like to hear directed at them at least once or twice in their lives. (Side note: Please ignore the blindingly ugly yellow video treatment given this song by YouTube user maddogmadox. Maybe imagine adorable frolicking bunnies instead.)
Arthur Russell - “A Little Lost” [YouTube]
Arthur Russell [Wikipedia]
“A Little Lost” is one of my favorite songs ever, but that World of Arthur Russell collection doesn’t really do it for me as an album (too all over the place?). World of Echo is the one to start with. God, that album is brilliant. It looks like the documentary is finally going to see the light of day, too!
Oh, and I’d have to say Another Thought is the album to get if you looking for something containing “A Little Lost”….
I love this song. Rebecca Gates does an amazing cover of this.