I’ve long been interested, even fascinated by the strange and obscure when it comes to music, and have had the pleasure of being exposed to, and thoroughly enjoying, some supremely far-out weird shit in my time. Father Murphy’s latest offering promised to be up there with the weirdest, and it certainly fulfils that promise.
Now, I do have spoken word audio tracks that feature two simultaneous narratives, one each in the left and right channel, whereby if you turn the pan to one side or the other, you can listen to one narrative or the other: place the balance in the centre and you get both.
This release goes one step further: the tracks are split across a pair of single-sided 10” vinyl records, designed to be played simultaneously for optimum effect. I don’t know many people with two turntables (even most DJs have gone digital now, although I don’t know many DJs, especially ones who’d buy or play this), but I was in luck: the digital promo I received contains only two tracks, with the odd and even-numbered tracks running simultaneously.
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What to say about the music itself? It’s dark. Ancient mysticism and modern-day despair hang heavy in the atmosphere, as befits music recorded in a Medieval castle previously used as a studio by Zola Jesus. It’s other-worldly, yet brimming with mortal fears. It’s desolate, disconsolate, bleak and strange. It’s music from the edge of the abyss. Embrace it.
Father Murphy Online
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