Heave Media

Various Red Body Parts

Murder By Death plays the soundtrack to your imaginary western adventures.

Murder By Death

Red of Tooth and Claw

Released on Nov 30, -0001

In Bocca al Lupo pt. 2? you may ask yourself after a run of the newest album by Bloomington, Indiana’s Murder By Death. As always, there is no lack of character, passion or musical abilities with these guys, yet I can’t help but wonder where their brilliant ideas snuck off to on this album. If this is you’re first listen to Murder By Death you may just be picking you jaw up off the floor after the first track of Red of Tooth and Claw. For weathered fans, however, Deja Vú may come to mind.

“Comin’ Home,” the album’s premier track, starts things off old school. The track features the bottommost depths of Adam Turla’s vocal range, as well as shimmering keyboard and cello drives from Sarah Balliet. Sadly, this album doesn’t follow any sort of story like its predecessors, Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them? and In Bocca al Lupo, not to stray too far though, the majority of the song matter deals with the standing issues of drinking, sexual tension and murder. The second single, “Fuego!,” speeds up the beat, and gives a real reason to compare Turla’s deep mournful voice with that of the late Johnny Cash.

Being thoughtful as they are, there is a nice three minute instrumental break in the middle, allowing you to fully digest the former half. Red of Tooth and Claw does give old fans what they’ve been dying for with “Ash” and “The Black Spot.” Both songs epitomize the type of lyrical story telling and apocalyptic emotions that Murder By Death has become known for. “Ash” dealing with what would seem to be a reference to the Pompeii disaster, and “The Black Spot,” perhaps some sort of pirating mishap.

The final track, “Spring Break 1899,” is a masterpiece reminiscent to the tone and subject matters of many songs before it. Our drunk, womanizing, doesn’t give half-a-shit hero returns in this one, to give us one more chapter of insight into the brutal life of America’s coming-of-age wanderer.

Short answer: yes this is a good album. Yes, it’s even on the same level as their previous records, maybe even higher in a few respects. What to keep in mind: this album doesn’t represent growth. While parts of it such as Turla’s singing and lyrical abilities have grown, the group as a whole seems to be sitting right where they were two years ago after they released In Bocca al Lupo. But why try to fix something that isn’t broken?

Posted by Andrew Scott on Mar 07, 2008 @ 12:00 am