Richard Buckner
Impasse
Impasse
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To commemorate the 15th anniversary of its release, Richard Buckner’s 2002 album Impasse has been reissued on CD and LP—its first-ever appearance on vinyl. Newly remastered by Jon Marshall Smith, the vinyl reissue also includes a download of four rare bonus tracks.
During the gestation of Impasse, Richard Buckner was stuck. But, with perseverance, what began as one of his most troubled recording attempts ended as one of his best and most pivotal—a capstone for his wayfaring early period before he planted roots with Merge. The words are entrancingly cryptic, as if their simplicity conceals unfathomable depths. The music is sparse, almost whispered at times, like a secret. The title gives everything away, though.
Impasse was conceived as a faceted whole. Its lyrics are like scattered snapshots and torn-up letters. The song titles form a poem that structures a story of heartache and dreamt redemption cloistered at the music’s core. Impressions, pledges, and slivered vantages swirl in Buckner’s voice and, while his frustrations at the time of Impasse were only part of the twist, its transmission is so open-ended that the aura of quiet desperation and hard-won grace is yours to use as you please.
“You don’t really know what you’re writing at the time,” Buckner says. “Writing seems to be kind of prophetic and it makes much more sense looking back on it. But I think mystery is good. If you ever think you know what you’re doing, then you’re probably in bad shape.”
ALBUM DETAILS
+ Pressed on vinyl for the first time to commemorate the album's 15th anniversary
+ LP includes full download of the album plus 4 rare bonus tracks
+ LP features full-color heavyweight inner sleeve with printed lyrics
+ Audio newly remastered by Jon Marshall Smith
SONGS
1. Grace-I'd-Said-I'd-Known:
2. Born Into Giving It Up,
3. Hoping Wishers Never Lose,
4. (Loaded @ the Wrong Door,
5. (A Year Ahead) …and a Light
6. Put On What You Wanna
7. A Shift
8. …& the Clouds've Lied
9. Stumble Down,
10. Count Me In on This One!
11. Dusty From the Talk,
12. Were You Tried & Not as Tough
13. Impasse:
14. I Know What I Knew,
15. Stutterstep
BONUS SONGS (digital only)
16. Loaded at the Wrong Door (Acoustic)
17. Remainder
18. It’s Still ’56
19. Born Into Giving It Up (Acoustic)
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
All orders are shipped from Champaign, IL.
We ship orders on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Orders placed before 1pm (Central Time) are usually be shipped the same day. Orders placed after 1pm will be shipped the next shipping day.
USA Shipping
Transit time is usually 3-7 business days. Packages ship via USPS Ground Advantage. Posters are shipped separate from other items. Shipping costs are calculated in realtime by USPS based on the total weight of your order.
International Shipping
Transit time can vary from 7-21 business days depending on the destination country. All international orders will be shipped ship via USPS Air Mail. Customs forms will be marked with the actual value of the items in your order. Depending on your country’s policies, you may have to pay import tax on some items.
Tracking Your Order
You'll receive a shipping confirmation e-mail from us after your order has been shipped. USA orders will include a delivery confirmation tracking number. You will be able to track the shipping status of your package at www.usps.com
Do You Have Questions or Need More Info?
e-mail: hello@undertowstore.com
This email goes to everyone in the office. We'll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Or call us if you prefer. phone: 217-359-0622
There might be a delay if you email or call outside of normal business hours.
We're in the office Monday through Thursday. 10am to 5pm (Central Time). Our office is closed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Download Help
Download Help
If you order included digital items, you'll get a download link on on the confirmation page after checkout. You'll also get an email a few minutes later with the same link. Please save this email if you need to access your files again.
You have 3 tries to complete each download. Full album downloads are contained in a single-file zip archive. ZIP files cannot be downloaded directly to a mobile device unless you have an application that can unzip them. We suggest downloading to a computer first then transfer to your mobile device.
Please note: we discourage the use of download managers or download accelerators (such as “Download Accelerator Plus”). These programs split up the download into several parts, causing your limit to be exceeded before the download is finished.
Please let us know if you have questions or need help.
e-mail: hello@undertowstore.com
This email goes to everyone in the office. We'll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Or call us if you prefer. Phone: 217-359-0622
There might be a delay if you email or call outside of normal business hours. We're usually in the office Monday through Friday. 10am to 6pm (Central Time).
