Muchacho (studio album)
by Phosphorescent

Album Rating: 76.70
(767/10)

1.Sun, Arise! (An Invocation, An Introduction). 73
2.Song For Zula. 92
3.Ride On/Right On. 73
4.Terror In The Canyons (The Wounded Master). 70
5.A Charm/A Blade. 73
6.Muchacho's Tune. 77
7.A New Anhedonia. 83
8.The Quotidian Beasts. 84
9.Down To Go. 71
10.Sun’s Arising (A Koan, An Exit). 72

From buzzdainer 06/13/2017 20:31

Of all Matthew Houck's indie folk releases under the Phosphorescent moniker, Muchacho is by far the most consistent, and the one on which his vocals are an asset rather than an early Will Oldham-esque distraction. "Song for Zula" is the album's high point, and it is genuinely lovely and affecting, one of the most heartbreaking songs of the new millenium. When Houck sings, "I will not open myself up this way again," I sense the pain underlying his words; I believe him. As Jayson Greene wrote for Pitchfork, "It’s a simple sentiment, pitched somewhere south of Zen koan and just north of heartland-rock cliche, and it maps out the coordinates of Houck’s world: It’s a place where well-worn sounds are the most beloved, where ideas and poses are settled into like old chairs. On Muchacho, Houck invests this world with new beauty and profundity."

Ride On/Right On was my summer soundtrack this year. This is a really good album, breaking the boundaries for alternative folk in some way. Aforementioned track is just a pop song, for example.

Great Rock/Folk songs. Always smiling when I listen to this album!

Now that I'm catching up on his back catalog, I can confidently declare this one his best. "A Charm/A Blade" is just perfect and "The Quotidian Beasts" raises the stakes.

From Mophos 11/16/2013 17:25

A nice folk album with catchy dreamy songs. One that you won't listen to on repeat, but will rather listen to from time to time when you're feeling nostalgic.

From jhuik 10/26/2013 22:26

A tad poppy, though still quite unique... beautiful music, nicely sung.

From dfulfo01 08/28/2013 03:19

this album didnt strike me as anything spectacular initially, but after some time it has really grown on me. It really is a beautiful album.

From RockyRaccoon 07/09/2013 19:54

This album is the result of a grueling amount of crap that Matthew Houck (aka Phosphorescent) had to go through following the release of “Here’s To Taking It Easy". According to him, he lost his girlfriend, was worn down by the road, and lost his place in New York. It had worn him down to almost nothing, and often times, that’s when an artist’s best work can come. This album is excellent, really drawing on an indie folk/alternate country kind of feel. There’s lots to it, Houck’s voice in layer upon layer on songs like “Sun Arise!" and the closing “Sun Arising". There’s also some beautiful songwriting here, best exemplified in “Song For Zula", a deep song observing love. It’s got its upbeat songs too, like “A Charm, A Blade" and “Terror In The Canyons (The Wounded Master)". This album has a little bit of everything, it’s great. Kind of sounds like if Bright Eyes went in a more country direction.

Song For Zula is a great song