Random Records with Steve O

Murder By Death - The Other Shore

One of the best parts about doing the bracket is finding out about all the cool records you missed throughout the year. If it slipped past my radar, somebody else probably caught it. Still, there are records that we all miss the boat on. Murder By Death’s 2018 release The Other Shore is one of those that we all somehow missed. For me, Murder By Death feels a part of that DeKalb era – they’d come through and play the House Café and there’d always be a bunch of us that would go. For whatever reason, I didn’t keep up with them after that point. Which makes getting into The Other Shore that much more exciting. It’s like meeting up with an old friend again after years have passed. All the familiar parts are still there, from Sarah Balliet’s hauntingly majestic cello melodies to Adam Turla’s thought-provoking lyrics and incredibly distinctive and powerful vocals.

The Other Shore starts off with “Alas,” five minutes that remind me everything I loved about Murder By Death. There’s times where Turla’s voice reaches into the Johnny Cash register, reinforcing just how good of a singer he is and spotlighting that if he ever wanted to go on a man-in-black-eqsue detour he’d surely knock it out of the park. Both “Chasing Ghosts” and “True Dark” are more up-tempo and highlight how unique their sound is when Balliet’s cello takes the lead; in “Stone” it’s the driving force, propelling the song along, meshing perfectly with the emotion in Turla’s voice and some horns.

The flip side to some of these powerful, emotive, melodic tunes is the totally mellow vibe you get on “Travelin’ Far,” which given its place in the middle of the record could be passed by as an interlude. Don’t miss this one though, as it’s easily one of the highlights here, with its harmonies, repetition, catchy melodies, and heartfelt lyrics. It’s a gorgeous little piece of music. “Only Time” keeps the mellow parade rolling on, while “Space” seems to combine all of the feels into one haunting ode evoking the black, swirling, emptiness of space.

“Bloom” is a catchy upbeat ditty, with some fantastic cello melodies, reinforcing the Murder By Death pattern. After seven full lengths, they know their sound, and they hit it on the back half of the album. Between the pensive “New Old City” and the epic closer “Last Night on Earth” they are right in their wheelhouse. But also sticking out on the back end is the triumphant “I Have Arrived.” The jangling, danceable, jubilee sometimes reminds of the World/Inferno Friendship Society. Turla’s delivery is especially majestic, soaring over the music. Murder By Death can sound mournful at times, that’s part of the appeal and they play that melancholy feel as good as anyone. But the true power of this band, and probably why they have such wide appeal and have been going strong for so long, is that they can stretch their wings and pump out tunes this exhilarating and powerful. Great stuff.

If you missed out too, catch up with Murder By Death and The Other Shore on Bandcamp. I know I need to spend some time reacquainting myself. It’s been a while, friends.