The Latest Rights

Like Smog, Sun Kil Moon and Cat Power, the Strugglers is really the vision of a single, lone voice. In this case, it’s North Carolinian Brice Randall Bickford II putting his contemplative diary jottings to music. His fourth full-length, 2008’s The Latest Rights, is his most mature album to date, beginning with the poetic cadences of “Morningside Heights” and working towards the upbeat pop of the character-study “Jonathan,” where Bickford’s earnest vocals crack not with sorrow but with joy for new possibilities that elude him most of the time. The extra kick of the electric guitars add a blessed counterpoint to the usual "acoustic guitar with string orchestration" that singer-songwriters prefer these days. When Bickford does return to his doom-laden earth, it’s with heavy heart, as “Theme for the Bad Angel”’s double-tracked vocals can’t mask the disappointments that young artists discover as they slowly realize the world rarely listens. “I had to learn from you / I had no gifts for saving” isn’t quite accurate, as Bickford’s affecting vocals and heartfelt sentiments are worth more than a passing nod.