With The Merry Blacksmith’s Song Bucket, Igor Keller proves there are still new corners of pop to explore. The Seattle artist and Longboat visionary opens the album with “Monster Zero”, setting the tone for ten tracks of humor, and imagination. The humor is dark, the imagery vivid, and the rhythm carries a pulsing, cinematic tension.
Longboat has always thrived on contrast: jazz-inflected chords beside electronic grit, sincerity alongside sarcasm. This time around, Keller leans into more daring soundscapes. The addition of a vocoder adds a new dimension and contrasts beautifully with his expressive delivery. “At first it was intimidating,” he admits, “but once you learn how to use it wisely, it brings something that feels both new and strangely familiar.”
Beyond “Monster Zero,” tracks like “Last of His Name” and “Call Me Cryptid” expand the universe of the record. Each song functions like a short story filled with humor, curiosity, and self-awareness. Keller’s songwriting turns everyday absurdities into satire: every lyric reveals his fascination with identity and imagination.
Keller spent years in Seattle’s jazz circles before pivoting to pop and experimental production. The Merry Blacksmith’s Song Bucket continues his lifelong dialogue between structure and spontaneity. He plays most of the instruments himself, giving the record Longboat’s signature.
What makes this album compelling isn’t just its concept, but Keller’s attitude. Darkness never dulls his sense of irony. The humor never undermines the emotion; instead, it deepens it.
From Word Gets Around to this new release, Igor Keller keeps evolving without losing his edge. The Merry Blacksmith’s Song Bucket is imaginative, fearless, and richly layered. By the end, when Keller hints at an unexpected musical rescue (“We’re saved by an unlikely instrument”), you realize you’ve been part of something both clever and oddly moving. Longboat’s latest record is a world where jazz, pop, and science fiction collide.
