Here’s one woman "of a certain age" who definitely isn’t invisible. But she’s in the middle of a media furore on which we’d rather not dwell. Sadly it might be the very thing that gets her the publicity she surely deserves. Remember when there was no such things as bad publicity? Vastly under-appreciated, she is a creative powerhouse. Innovative, daring and most of all unpredictable.
There’s nothing lazy or repetitive here – quite a feat after 30 years in the business. “On paper, I shouldn’t still be able to surprise people this much, so I’m very proud of that. I’ve gone around for the last four or five years knowing this record is happening, and it’s given me great purpose and confidence,” she reveals on the album press release. This is her sixth album, the first on Ninja Tunes and it’s an absolute triumph.
Murphy “worked remotely, in different countries sending tracks/ideas back and forth” with Hamburg-based DJ Koze, who inspired the title by joking “I will put you on the Hit Parade, I’ll put you on Top of the Pops” (that might be a push given that Radio One wouldn’t play Kylie Minogue even when she was in the top 10. Know your place, not-youthful-ladies!)
Her vocal timbre and scale is revelatory. In some instances, you wouldn’t actually know it was her. In a good way. Boundary breaking and idiosyncratic, the album twists and turns – one minute all future-facing and cosmic, the next kind of retro but in a completely fresh way. It’s deeply textured and demands multiple plays. In fact, beware – you won’t be able to stop listening once you’ve dipped your toe into this delicious concoction.
There are many standouts and the singles are among them. “Fader” has an uplifting, epic grandeur (the self-directed video is a thing of beauty, too) sampling the much-older-sounding “I Learned the Hard Way” by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. Considering its contemplation on mortality (“I'll meet my maker, sometime a little later”) it’s remarkably life-affirming. “Coocool” is summer encapsulated in a song and samples Mike James Kingland’s 1971 “Together” to impressive effect. “The Universe” is one of those songs you feel like you’ve heard before. Shimmery and super-catchy, the only quibble is the over-accentuated American accent (and what are the speech clips all about – White Lotus?). I wonder what Murphy would sounds like doing a Grian Chatten? “You Knew” is a seven-minute-long complex club track of powerful grooviness. “Can’t Replicate” channels Lil Louis’ "French Kiss", building in sauciness for another seven minutes. You get your money’s worth with this one.
But that’s the tip of the iceberg. Wall-to-wall brilliance awaits for those not into cancelling.
Below: Watch the video for "Fader" by Roísín Murphy
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