The boys and girls of Indiana?s Murder by Death like feeling
old ? as in horse-drawn-carriage-and-gunslinger old. These icons should be
familiar to fans of the band?s previous saloon-rock albums. But it?s more like
Lord-Alfred-Tennyson old in the case of Red of Tooth and Claw, the
band?s newest album, which draws its title from one of the English author?s
poems. But on Red, Murder by Death uses their cabaret style to recognize
the existence of today?s musical atmosphere, finally sounding a tad bit modern,
even if their lyrics still favor an enchantingly historical selection of
stories.
Vocalist Adam Turla?s gothic drawl of ?Comin? Home? sets the
tone for Red, weaving a statement of homecoming into something far more
notable by pairing a mariachi guitar part with a finale of string flourishes
and vocal yelps. The song, as well as much of the album, recalls the indulgent
vocal playfulness and iconic storytelling of Tom Waits, but it is also
particularly indicative of Murder by Death?s more contemporary feel on Red.
And as with past Murder by Death releases, the story remains
the most important element to the band?s work, crossing a dusty wasteland of
topics including the ?Black Spot? of pirate lore, murderous travels in ??52
Ford,? and the imagery of death and destruction in the crooned monologue of
?Rum Brave.?
?Fuego,? a song that appears mid-album, is an elaborate
message of longing and desire, and only such visual artists could write the
stunning lyric ?Baby, it?s been so long/ That even the rose?s hips are turning
me on.? And by the end of the song comes a line few bands would put to music:
?It?s so hot/ That the bones shove through our skin!?
Immediately following ?Fuego? is a contrasting slower piece,
?Theme (for Ennio Morricone).? The instrumental ballad is an emotionally
charged track of cinematic flavor, proving Murder by Death?s musical breadth
via the anguished tone of a string lick and a variable cacophony of horns and
guitar mixed just so. The tune would be at home in one of Nick Cave?s recent
film scores, setting the atmosphere for early Australian criminals and the fall
of Jesse James.
?Spring Break 1899? sounds like a cello-carried Morrissey
B-side, and sums up the album as a whole with its comical title. In fact, at
first listen Red of Tooth and Claw seems like it tries to be too many
things at once, but is in fact cohesive enough to be the kind of album worthy
of spinning to the point of decay.
When all its diverse elements combine, the sometimes-dreary
tone doesn?t get too cumbersome, the driving rockers don?t get carried away,
and the thematic elements remain novel through a fairly brief 37-minute
playtime. Red isn?t just a collection of vaudevillian ideas ? it?s
Murder by Death?s synthesis of various musical elements into an opus both
artistically exciting and continuously beautiful.
Red of Tooth and Claw is certainly a Murder by Death
album, which means it isn?t for the faint-of-heart or for the
sugary-pop-inclined, but it is a phenomenal release all the same. The band?s
tracks are tighter and more contemporary here than past releases, and cellist
Sarah Balliet has perfected her skill, gracing near-punk rock tracks
purposefully barren of production filler (the band?s distinct style and perhaps
a bit of label Vagrant?s influence) with elegant strings often daring in their
simplicity ? and are all the more haunting because of it.
Murder by Death love creating an atmosphere of twisted men
and the settings they inhabit, and with Red of Tooth and Claw, they have
successfully done just that while never forgetting how much they like to rock.
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4 1/2 stars out of 5