You might imagine a space-age cowboy when listening to Dave Weir and Arthur Ahbez’s latest collaboration, Arthur and Dave. Each of the four songs on their EP is heavily laden with guitar, so much so that you might think you were tuning into a soundtrack from a classic Western.
There’s a twist, though, and that lies in the lyrics which are distinctly modern with a nod towards the whimsical and, perhaps, even verging on the futuristic.
These four tracks are cohesive despite the EP being a collaboration between two different but extremely musically symbiotic individuals.
The first two tracks on the EP belong to Dave Weir, with the slow and melancholic opening song, Too Much Brush in these Marks, sounding like something reminiscent of Bob Dylan. With references to galloping horses, dreams, and Gods, it’s not hard to picture Weir out on the open plains perhaps riding off into the distant sunset alone with his horse. “So, I saved my fears for the dark…” he intones gently, as if talking to no-one but anyone who will listen. Too Much Brush in these Marks is a melodic piece that ends as quietly as it begins whilst Who Do You Think You Are (Wake up and Smell the Roses), Weir’s second and distinctly more upbeat track, is more anthemic.
Track three on the EP, the first for New Zealand born Arthur Ahbez, is called Foolish Little Lover. It begins slowly with an acoustic guitar solo before Ahbez sings in a winning combination, “Foolish little lover, waiting for the daybreak of his smile…”. The tune here is a little less Dylan and so slightly more unique in that sense that it heralds a new sound for the duo. The second track for Ahbez, I Dig It All, is the ying to the yang of Who Do You Think You Are (Wake up and Smell the Roses). There’s a bounce to the rhythm of the strings of the guitar that doesn’t lend itself to pop but rather the dramatics of folk with a dash of rock n’ roll.
These four tracks are cohesive despite the EP being a collaboration between two different but extremely musically symbiotic individuals. Ahbez has been recording since 2013, when he released his debut album, Gold. For Weir, his debut Food For Thought is homage to his musical hero’s: Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, David Bowie, and The Kinks.
Listen to the new EP above.
