Richard Russell’s Everything Is Recorded project has always thrived on collaboration, blending genres and voices into something greater than the sum of its parts. With ‘Temporary’, the third album under this moniker, Russell shifts focus, swapping rhythm for melody and presenting his most fragile, luminous work to date. ‘Temporary’ is a meditation on impermanence, grief, and life itself-an album that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.
From the outset, the tracklist reads like a dream lineup for any lover of genre-defying music. The guest list is staggering: Sampha, Florence Welch, Bill Callahan, Noah Cyrus, Berwyn, Kamasi Washington, and many more lend their talents to this sprawling yet intimate work. But what makes ‘Temporary’ special isn’t just its collaborators-it’s the way Russell curates and weaves their voices into a single, cohesive narrative.
The album opens with ‘October’, a delicate introduction that sets the tone for what’s to come. Snippets of conversation float in and out, like thoughts half-formed and emotions barely grasped. “Everything’s in a continuous state of flux,” Jah reflects, while Sampha reminds us, “I am a living memory of the universe.” These moments feel deeply personal yet universally resonant, capturing the fleeting nature of experience and identity.
One of the standout collaborations, ‘My And Me’, sees Sampha, Laura Groves, and Alabaster DePlume exploring themes of isolation and self-deception. “I don’t want to be this lonely / But I don’t want to see my homies,” Sampha confesses, laying bare the inner conflict of yearning for connection while retreating into solitude. The track’s hypnotic, layered production only enhances its introspective pull.
The album also embraces the surreal, as seen in ‘Porcupine Tattoo’, a poetic exploration of pain and transformation featuring Noah Cyrus and Bill Callahan. “I loved the pain once too / Porcupine tattoo,” they sing, evoking the idea of emotional scars as both burdens and badges of survival. The dreamy, sci-fi-tinged imagery elevates the song beyond simple heartache, placing it in a realm of cosmic storytelling.
‘Never Felt Better’, featuring Florence Welch and Sampha, plays with contradiction in its exploration of emotional numbness. “I thought I was in so much pain / Never felt better,” Florence and Sampha sing, blurring the line between suffering and euphoria. This track, much like the entire album, refuses easy answers-only deeper, more intricate reflections.
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‘The Summons’ is another deeply moving piece, touching on grief and the presence of those who have passed. “My dad came through and he said, ‘I’ve never been more close to you, and more here,'” Lisa recalls. The track captures the paradox of absence and presence, a theme that lingers throughout the album.
By the time we reach ‘Goodbye (Hell of a Ride)’, the album has taken us through a full cycle of emotions-grief, wonder, introspection, and ultimately, acceptance. “Goodbye baby goodbye / You know it’s been one hell of a ride,” Nourished By Time sings, offering a farewell that feels both conclusive and open-ended. As Gil reminds us in the outro, “As long as you live and as long as you continue, they will continue.”
This album is a testament to the power of collective storytelling, a reminder that we are all part of something larger than ourselves. It’s not just a collection of songs-it’s a living, breathing conversation about what it means to exist, to remember, and to let go.
Where past Everything Is Recorded projects leaned heavily into groove and rhythm, ‘Temporary’ embraces space and stillness. Inspired by the thought experiment “What if folk music had ‘gone digital’ in the 80s, just as reggae had?”, Russell crafts soundscapes that are warm yet spectral, electronic yet organic. The melodies take precedence, guiding the listener through each song like a gentle current.
Tracks like ‘Swamp Dream #3’ and ‘The Meadows’ are deeply atmospheric, with intricate layers of instrumentation that unfold like a slow-motion dream. Meanwhile, ‘Goodbye (Hell of a Ride)’, featuring Nourished By Time, serves as a poignant closer—an elegy to the transient nature of life and art.
‘Temporary’ might be one of the gentlest records ever made about death, but it’s also one of the most life-affirming. Russell’s decision to prioritise melody over rhythm results in an album that feels weightless yet deeply affecting, like sunlight filtering through the cracks of a long-lost memory. Every collaborator on this record sounds like the best version of themselves, elevating ‘Temporary’ into something truly special.
For longtime fans of Everything Is Recorded, this album represents a bold new chapter-one that trades frenetic energy for quiet reflection. And for newcomers, ‘Temporary’ is a stunning introduction to Richard Russell’s ever-evolving musical world.
8/10
Words: Josh Crowe
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