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This is, incidentally, the second disc from a New Hampshire band that I've reviewed this week. Murkádee hail from the town of Epping, which was also hometown to The Shaggs, as Murkádee like to point out. Murkádee is the duo of Joseph K. Murphy and DeLaine Bennett, helped out by a number of guests, including Patrick Boutwell of the mighty thebrotherkite. On this disc, the band's sophomore effort, they play sprawling, sometimes epic, ramshackle pop full of genuine quirks. There's a little bit of a hippie vibe that runs through the album, mostly thanks to some lead guitar work laden with wah and other granola-flavored effects, but things don't get too tie-dyed on the whole, thankfully. They're wildly creative, and they throw a whole bunch of instruments into the mix. Clarinet and trombone are featured on several tracks, like "Traffic Lights," which also makes use of skating-rink organ, and "Alert," which I'll get back to later. There's banjo on several tracks: the minor-key "What Do You Want?" which also has some Frampton-style talk box and is reminiscent of early Cat Power; the waltz "Pillow"; and the closing track, folky ballad "Whole New Town." The aforementioned "Alert" is built from a drum machine loop and keyboard bassline and actually includes some late-80s style rapping, which amazingly is not cringe-inducing. They've recruited a 12-person backing chorus for a couple of songs, "Good Words" and "Vodka," the latter of which has an excellent rocking chorus. Murphy and Bennett trade off on vocals, and Bennett has a very distinctive voice, sometimes sounding like a female Neil Young—particularly when she sings more quietly, like on "Pillow." It's a unique voice for a unique band. For the most part there are a few too many ingredients in their trail mix for my taste, but I give them big ups for being true originals. (Also, see below for the handpainted mailer art that the disc arrived in—those kids are nutty!) (mike.05.06)
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