Album- Good Morning, Magpie

Label – Vagrant Records

4 out of 5 pitchforks

With its new album, “Good Morning, Magpie,” Indiana group Murder By Death perfects its brooding folk-rock sound and moves it in an even folksier direction.

The album, which feels something like a narrative, still keeps to the themes prevalent in the band’s earlier albums — family, love, the drink and disparity felt by regular, blue-collar people — that Murder By Death is ultimately replicating.

Lead singer Adam Turla’s gravelly vocals add to the authenticity of the concept of folk music as music for the salt of the earth. He accentuates tracks like the short intro song “Kentucky Bourbon” and “As Long As There Is Whiskey In The World,” two drinking songs that feel more country than rock.

In “On The Dark Streets Below,” the band seems to put some swing into its folksy tale. With horns that walk the line between mariachi and swing, the band brings a very danceable element to its music as Turla recounts the story of Annie, Adele and August, three girls who have lost their way.

The sleepy “King Of The Gutters, Prince Of The Dogs” is the melancholy musing of an old man on his life. It is exactly the sort of track that epitomizes the feelings Murder By Death cares to write about: an old man who has lived a long life and has little to show for it.

“Piece By Piece” is a mysterious story told by a father to his son. It is both promising and foreboding as Turla sings, “I paid my dues and I had my fun/You’ll have yours too, son.” The track begins with a tinkling guitar and the eerie sound of an organ but soon builds as the organ cuts out and the cello and guitar back the vocalist’s peculiar voice.

The title track is a rich, cello-filled tune that changes significantly over its course. The cello bridge after the first verse is enchanting and spooky. A minute and a half in, the song sounds less like Murder By Death and more like Cursive. However, the song quickly morphs again into a love song to the Magpie herself.

The track “You Don’t Miss Twice (When You’re Shavin’ With A Knife)” sounds like a dark 1920s club song. Blurring the line between the topics of shaving and murder, the eerie track has a certain black humor about it that makes it strangely funny.

“Yes” is a joyous song about the natural end to life. “Yes, everyone comes and goes,” Turla sings over a track at a hoedown.

Undoubtedly a love song, “Foxglove” sounds like the beginning of a Wes Anderson film. Cellist Sarah Balliet leads the song with her bow as Turla remains captivated by the beauty of his love.

Ending with “The Day,” Turla shows his vocal range can vary, whether it shows on other tracks or not.

An exciting and brooding folk-rock album, “Good Morning, Magpie” is a great stand-alone album and an even better addition to Murder By Death’s collection as the group’s fifth studio album.

Reach the reporter at derobles@asu.edu

Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon the Chef collaborate on a hip-hop album that cuts right to the punch.

Compared to Raekwon’s critically acclaimed “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … Pt. II,” a 75-minute 2009 album spread out over 22 tracks, “Wu Massacre” seems like a quarter of an album. At only 30 minutes in length, the collaboration makes an interesting point about the current state of hip-hop —it has come to use so much filler.

Where other rap albums have failed, “Wu Massacre” prevails in stripping away the fat, leaving a lean rap album that goes by surprisingly quickly.

With only 12 tracks and two 30-some-second skits, the album feels like a single scene of the type of narrative that made the three into the successful rappers they are today.

Kicking off with Raekwon’s B-side “Criminology 2.5,” “Wu Massacre” wastes no time in getting gangster, cut down to a mere two minutes.

Leading right into the first flexing of lyrical muscle, “Meth vs. Chef Part II” is the sort of classic Wu-Tang production that makes the listener nod and smirk in approval. The brass band in the background sounds like the soundtrack to a ’70s crime drama with swagger. Method Man and Raekwon break their rhyming after each verse with single lines of spoken dialogue, giving the feeling that the two are facing off just for the pleasure of facing off.

The skit “Ya Moms” is a furthering of the playful combat felt in the track before it. Unlike other hip-hop skits, it is a short 30 seconds, keeping it playful but not wasting time.

“Smooth Sailing” makes a recognizable transition into “Our Dreams,” the only track produced by legendary Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA. Sampling from Michael Jackson’s “We’re Almost There,” the song has a dreamy, peaceful sentiment. Method Man sounds like a weathered old man, reflecting on relationships past.

“Our Dreams” is not only the smoothest song on the album, it shows the true good work that RZA can bring to the table, in spite of creative differences the artists have had recently.

Following the airy track is the hectic “Gunshowers,” featuring Sun God and Inspectah Deck. Though it is a strong track, it doesn’t have the classic Wu-Tang feeling.

“Dangerous” is a perfect three-man machine passed from Raekwon to Ghostface to Method Man. The Wu-Tang anthem is a reminder that this trio is one composed of experts.

“Pimpin’ Chipp” is Ghostface Killah’s hip solo track. The theme of a hooker, Killah shows a rare nod of respect for the song’s protagonist, who is just as rarely a female character.

Next is a skit, “How to Pay Rent,” featuring comedian Tracy Morgan, which serves as an ironic, chauvinistic follow-up track to “Pimpin’ Chipp.”

“Miranda” is a saucy tune with bounce, but it marks the slow decline of the album which ends with “Youngstown Heist” and “It’s That Wu Sh-t,” two of the album’s weaker tracks.

Although many may label it a weaker effort by the Wu-Tang Clan, “Wu Massacre” shows that the Clan is still eager to have fun in the studio, and it shows they are ready to produce a no-nonsense album that gets back to what matters: the music that made the trio who they are today.

Reach the reporter at debrobles@asu.edu

Album- Mulatu Steps Ahead

Record Label- Strut

4 out 5 Pitchforks

Returning to the studio for the first time in two decades with the March 29 release “Mulatu Steps Ahead,” Ethiopia’s jazz king Mulatu Astatke comes back with a new style that feels wilder and more loose than anything he has done before.

Now more relaxed, Astatke sounds as if his acutely original style was only one period in the evolution of his jazz form.

The first track, “Radcliffe,” is dreamy and flowing, cluttered and improvisational. Almost like the orchestra tuning, it seems more like jazz play than one of Astatke’s classic jazz pieces.

The track begins to take form as a crooning, smoky song that would make fitting background music for an opium den.

“Green Africa” paints a mental image of green Serengeti and lively Africa. A smooth culmination from the preceding track, the song ends in Astatke jiving on the vibraphone.

By “The Way to Nice,” the album has transformed into a swinging, Latin beat, reminiscent of the “James Bond” theme, close to his older style but somehow still more free in structure.

Next is “Assosa,” a modernized tribute to the traditional music of the Assosa tribes of Ethiopia. A bit hypnotizing, it seems to linger on for ages.

“I Faram Gami I Faram” is so intensely Caribbean inspired, it is a bit surprising when the vocals come in what can only be assumed Amharic. The epitome of sultry Latin jazz, this song tugs some part of the listener and tells them to dance.

“Umlaut’s Mood” has almost hip-hop like drums and the tinkling guitar behind a brooding saxophone that plays with the other horns like a brass practice session.

On “Ethio Blues,” Astatke sounds classically jazzy with light high-hat drums, slow plucked bass and light piano. Where it stands out is Astatke’s very own soloing on the vibraphone.

“Boogaloo” is another jam founded in Puerto Rican jazz. The only difference: the occasional Middle Eastern instrument to remind the listener that this is no ordinary jazz maestro.

On “Motherland,” the band explores some dreamscape that seems caught in a noir film. Dark and mysterious, it sounds like a seductress’ theme.

The bonus digital track “Derashe” is an ominous drug-induced trip that plays with the traditional scales of the Derashe tribe.

After a long hiatus, Astatke does not disappoint with his new and improved style of composing. Although taking a step away from his traditional, more structured type of jazz, his new direction is more complex, modern and easier to relate to as jazz to an audience that may not have enjoyed his more heavily Ethio-influenced sound.

It’s truly a joy to see an artist so practiced in his craft totally capable of reinventing his sound at an age — Astatke is in his late 60s — where most peers are resigned to playing the old hits.

Reach the reporter at derobles@asu.edu

Sounding like Pink Floyd in a futuristic setting, Gorillaz have a way of fitting every genre into an album that couldn’t possibly be put into a genre. Featuring artists from Snoop Dogg to Paul Simon, “Plastic Beach” manages to keep things varied yet still have a clear movement through the tracks that allows the album to flow from start to finish.

“Plastic Beach” begins with an orchestral introduction reminiscent of the kind of score that would accompany a 1970s helicopter ride. This leads into track two, a crescendo and a drop of everything but an organ, drums and a funky bass. Snoop Dogg’s drawl slows the Gorillaz down to a tempo they rarely accomodate. The brass band makes even Snoop sound classy as he introduces the listener to the new world Albarn set out to create: “Welcome to the world of the Plastic Beach.”

The third track, “White Flag,” continues the trend, juxtaposing the Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music’s soft flute and strings with the harsher grime flows of British rappers Kano and Bashy.

“Rhinestone Eyes” is an eerie synthesizer-filled song in which Albarn seems more to speak his lyrics than sing them.

Not far behind is the single “Stylo,” featuring Bobby Womack and rapper Mos Def.

Mos Def’s monotone rapping is punctuated by Albarn’s singsong chorus. Topped off with Womack’s half-yells, the song has more soul than any other Gorillaz track while still keeping the formula of weirdness the band has perfected.

The bizarre “Superfast Jellyfish” is a cartoonish rap song all about breakfast cereal with Albarn still singing the cheery chorus between De La Soul and Gruff Rhys’ baritone verses.

Featuring Little Dragon, “Empire Ants” is a slow, hypnotizing and entrancing song that turns into electro-pop halfway through. The transition is quick but smooth, as listeners go from eyes closed and nodding to eyes closed and dancing in less than three minutes.

“Glitterfreeze” is another dance beat, this time over a wailing siren that would seem appropriate in a Quentin Tarantino movie. Albarn speaks thrice on the track, each time making less sense than the last.

“Some Kind of Nature” is upbeat and electronic but is made by Lou Reed’s vocals that are cut up in an almost robotic manner. Albarn mimics him in his singsong voice, keeping the lyrics short but the song interesting.

One of only four tracks not featuring guest artists, “On Melancholy Hill” is a dreamy pop track that floats into the similarly dreamy “Broken.”

Mos Def returns with the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble on the track “Sweepstakes.” The funky drums and horns sound celebratory as the rapper declares, “You’re a winner” over the track.

Perhaps the most out-of-the-ordinary guest is none other than Simonon. Featured on the futuristic title track, his vocals are subtle and layered with Albarn’s, making it hard to distinguish him. Maybe the only mistake with this album is not fully taking advantage of Paul Simonon when given the opportunity.

“Cloud of Unknowing” seems like an old Pink Floyd song. Womack returns to monologue over dramatic synthesizers, leading into a building track, “Pirate Jet.” Organ and spring sounds make this weird tune a perfect end to an indescribable album.

A wide ranging, multi-style music project that somehow manages to keep a distinctly unique, hypnotic sound throughout, “Plastic Beach” shows the master, Albarn, excelling at his craft.

Artist- Gorillaz
Album- Plastic Beach
Record Label- Parlophone/ Virgin
5 out 5 Pitchforks

Reach the reporter at derobles@asu.edu

However, more like a soundtrack to a movie about gracefully dealing with depression than a pop album, Cooper’s murmuring makes his first endeavor into lyric writing feel very tentative and unsure. Any lyrics that are heard are only snippets from the song itself, fitting with his airy, floating melodies.

Soft percussion like a drop of water falling on a pond punctuates the first track, “Leaves Eclipse the Light.” His voice — bored and weary sounding — is reminiscent of Ian Curtis or Interpol’s Paul Banks and is nearly impossible to follow fully even over the soft melodies

Next is “The Motion Makes Me Last,” a longing rhetorical question that asks, “What is it that has my mind so hypnotized?” Cooper labels himself as a vessel between two places he’s never been, weaving the story of some out of place lover hung out to dry.

“In Culmination” is a hopeful three-minute track with no vocals. Although beautiful, the song fails to build to anything different and winds up sounding like when a little boy discovers he can alternate between two chords on the piano.

“Weird Creatures” layers a slinky synthesizer over a slow-motion-like drum machine. Cooper’s whispering comes in late and ends early, but little can be understood. His thoughtful and sparing use of vocals proves safer — his voice so breathy that over-exertion might blow it away entirely.

A sleepwalk anthem for an Ambien nation, “Nightmare 5” is a slow, transfixing piece better for the background than the foreground. It fails to culminate to something great and changes little from beginning to end, sounding like the weak intro to a Sigur Ros song.

“Making Up Minds,” a standout track, seems like everything Cooper was aiming for with “Similes.” It ends with light piano after building up from nothing. His monotonous vocals sound like a monk’s chanting over the organ that makes up the body of the track. His lyrics are inaudible and mysterious, and the song takes a completely different direction, albeit 30 seconds before its end.

Another ethereal song with no lyrics, “Bending Dream,” seems to be infinite, having no beginning, middle or end. It is more an interlude than a title track.

The final track is the 11-minute “Cease To Know.” Entirely ambient, the song plays with soft strings enough to remind someone of an orchestra tuning itself. Cooper’s soft crooning is, as always, impossible to understand and seemingly superfluous. The track softly lingers on until slowly fading out — not much in a way of an ending piece.

Although attempting to play with a new dynamic, Eluvium’s “Similes” is a boring, sleepy sort of background music that is pretty without being consciously so.

Cooper’s vocals and soft drum-machine add little to the mix that might excite the listener the way musical movement (something in short supply on this album) would. Although the allure of peaceful ambiance sounds tantalizing, “Similes” sounds more like naptime.

Reach the reporter at derobles@asu.edu