Murder By Death – Good Morning, Magpie

  • Bobby Gorman posted
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Murder By Death

Good Morning, Magpie - Vagrant Records

Murder By Death are one of those bands I’ve always enjoyed but never fully submerged myself with.  Over the course of a few years, I’ve seen them several times in Edmonton and they’ve always been impressive – although playing in the world’s biggest mall doesn’t necessarily match the vibe of their gloomy, dingy, bar-rock sound. Yet, I’ve only really heard In Bocca Al Lupo and the odd single here and there – so like I said, I’ve always enjoyed them but never fully emerged myself within their music.

That was until their fifth album, Good Morning, Magpie.

I’ve had the eleven track album on repeat almost non stop for several weeks now, promoting it to friends, praising it and even convincing my dad to give it a spin. Why? Well, Good Morning, Magpie is phenomenal.

Going into the deep woods of Appalachia for two whole weeks with just “a tent, a fishing pole, a guitar and a lot of paper,” vocalist and guitarist Adam Turla came out of his two week adventure with most of the record written – and that simplistic, stripped down to essentials sensation is felt in every song on the album.  The album is dark and gloomy, built on down and out themes, but embedded within it is a sense of optimism, hope and recovery.

Turla’s low Johnny Cash-like baritone vocals are unmatched in today’s scene and bring back visions of gloomy bar bands from the sixties. The entire album lives in a lower registry than most of the acts coming out today which not only delivers a much needed breath of fresh air but proves that a band can create a lasting album without moulding themselves to the ever changing whims of the music industry. When Turla isn’t stealing the show, cellist Sarah Balliet shines through, creating a soaring rhythm section and sometimes (see Foxglove, an easy highlight of the album) becomes the complete vocal point of the track.

Whether they’re romanticising about their favourite drinks – like the thirty second opener Kentucky Bourbon and the rousing drinking anthem As Long As There Is Whiskey In The World – or interchanging the topics of shaving and murder with the Sweeny Todd influenced You Don’t Miss Twice (When You’re Shavin’ With A Knife)Murder By Death remain true to themselves, their fans and their sound.  No other album in recent memory creates such a textured and well developed album that is able to establish a dark and foreboding mood like Good Morning, Magpie; and it’s safe to say that this will not be the last you hear of the album.