Merge Records 

Like fellow alt-country expatriate Jeff Tweedy, Richard Buckner has continued to push on the walls of the box he found himself in after the release of his mid-1990s debut, “Bloomed.” From the darker textures and lyrics of “Devotion and Doubt” and onward through the five other full-length CDs in his catalog, Buckner hopped from sparsely decorated, acoustic or a capella production to more rocking fare (be it acoustic or electric rock) on his recordings and songs. All the while his trademark warbling, lonesome voice held court. “Meadow,” his latest release and his second for the legendary indie label Merge, is a return to the rocking form he dabbled in on 1998’s “Since.”

“Town” kicks off the album with some low guitars that chug tightly along with the bass and drums as Buckner’s voice slinks into the sonic picture to brood on the nostalgiac subject matter. The band, featuring members of The Mekons, Guided By Voices and producer JD Foster (Foster also produced “Since” and “Devotion and Doubt”),  joins Buckner on the effort and never lets up. The piano-driven “Before” is an exception, as is the gorgeous and loping “Kingdom” with its entrancing drum hook and guitar lines.

That said, if the subtleties of “Devotion and Doubt” are what you love most about Buckner’s stuff, then this collection might not be for you. The recording is beautiful, with big drums and chiming guitars, and somehow manages to come off as a little pristine, in spite of being recorded in Buckner’s apartment and an old factory in NYC. The warble is a little rougher these days, probably from a few thousand miles of shows (and cigarettes), but it still manages to serve Buckner well as a vehicle to convey the lonesome melancholic vignettes he’s so well known for. In the end, though, the emotional undercurrent of “Meadow” gets a little lost in the arrangements and instrumentation. It just doesn’t have the emotional immediacy of “Devotion” or even it’s rocking cousin “Since.” Not his best, not his worst.