Hi-Fi-July 2021

Audio Lounge 0207 487 4080
www.audiolounge.co.uk

For Brands that each Dealer stocks, please check www.wholenotedistribution.co.uk Art & Sound 0203 488 6261
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▪ Merason Audio ▪ Lu Kang Audio Audio-Philia 0131 221 9753
▪ Silent Angel www.audio-philia.co.uk

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▪ 432 EVO Loud & Clear 0131 516 7561
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The Little Audio Company 0121 638 0721
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The HiFi Gallery Ltd 01592 377 163
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▪ AGD Productions
▪ Boenicke Audio VAL HiFi 0333 577 2005
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Whole Note Distribution
0203 9115 549

[email protected]
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99 ISSUE 197

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100 ISSUE 197

MUSIC INTERVIEW

John
Murry

by Sean Hannam

W hen it comes to making Mooney gave the confessional and intimate songs a warm, symphonic feel
albums, US singer- at times, but also created unsettling moments and rich, sonic textures, with
songwriter John Murry layered sounds, samples, snippets of conversations, lush string arrangements,
hasn’t had an easy keys, pedal steel and fuzzed-up guitars.
time of it.
His 2012 debut solo record, the In a five-star review of The Graceless Age, The Guardian said it was ‘a
astonishing and critically acclaimed, The profound and moving meditation – the kind of album that answers questions
Graceless Age, was produced by his friend, you didn’t realise you were asking.’
Tim Mooney of American Music Club, who
died before the album was released. Its follow-up, the raw, stripped-down and much looser, A Short History of
Decay, which was overseen by Michael Timmins from the Cowboy Junkies,
One of its highlights, the epic ‘Little didn’t arrive until five years later, but was recorded in the wake of Murry’s
Coloured Balloons’, documented Murry’s near- marriage breaking up.
fatal overdose on heroin in San Francisco.
Now he’s back with his third album, The Stars Are God’s Bullet Holes, but
this time around, he’s in a much better place – kind of…

101 ISSUE 197

MUSIC INTERVIEW / JOHN MURRY

“As he says in the press release that accompanies promo copies of the
new album, ‘I think a lot of what we call contentment is delusional’.”

“I’m alright, but I’ve just had two teeth pulled out,” he tells me, speaking but also not without its fair share of black
on a Zoom call from Dublin. humour.

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Murry relocated to Ireland six years ago, where It opens with the funky dub-meets-
he’s said to have enjoyed a period of relative stability, but, as he says in the country groove of ‘Oscar Wilde (Came Here
press release which accompanies promo copies of the new album, “I think a To Make Fun Of You’) – an infectious pop
lot of what we call contentment is delusional.” song that’s subverted with a disturbing lyric
that references the Oklahoma City bombing.
The Stars Are God’s Bullet Holes, like the two albums that came before
it, is a surprising, brilliant and inventive record – rough and raw, dark at times, The startling and moody title track, which
starts with the lines “Of course I’d die for
you. You’d watch me, wouldn’t you?” rides
on a wave of heavy, fuzzed-up guitars, over
which Murry tells us he’s been made in God’s
image: “Born to die – to take love songs and
crucify ‘em.”

‘Di Kreutser Sonata’ is a sparse ballad
with haunting pedal steel guitar, which finds
Murry “stuck somewhere between a memory
and a dream,” and wrestling with issues from
his adopted family upbringing.

‘I Refuse To Believe You Could Love Me’
has a New Wave / garage-rock feel, and the
atmospheric ‘Ones + Zeros’ is based on a
pretty piano line and features guest vocals
from singer-songwriter, Nadine Khouri.

Murry also throws in an inspired, spacey
and psychedelic cover version of Duran
Duran’s ‘90s comeback single, ‘Ordinary
World’, which is driven by a throbbing
bassline and electric piano – both are played
by Bristol-based musician, John Parish, who
produced the album.

Murry and he first met in 2013, at a UK
music festival, in Winchester, where they
were both playing on the same bill.

Parish had worked on a lot of Murry’s
favourite records, including albums by
PJ Harvey, Eels and Sparklehorse / Mark
Linkous.

They got chatting and then Parish went
to some of Murry’s shows in Bristol.

“We’d been talking about doing a record
together for about seven or eight years,”
says Murry.

102 ISSUE 197

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103 ISSUE 197

MUSIC INTERVIEW / JOHN MURRY

“I don’t think there’s anything gratuitous about going into an analogue
studio, as there’s so few of them left in the world.”

“It takes money to make records – to have the ability to go into a studio Nowadays, if you’re expecting to get by
and to have access to all the gear and people. I had a budget for it, and it was or do well from making music, you’d be an
enough for us to make an interesting record.” idiot. I wanted to make a record that I wanted
to listen to – for a long time it was difficult
Work on the album started in late 2019 and it was finished at the start of for me.
last year.
Your first album, The Graceless Age,
The recording sessions took place at the legendary Rockfield Studios, was so acclaimed. Have you always
in Monmouthshire, Wales – previous visitors have included Queen, Black felt pressure to follow it up? Was it an
Sabbath, Motörhead, Oasis, Coldplay and The Stone Roses. albatross around your neck?
Yes – I think other people have a relationship
At Rockfield, there are two studios, the Coach House and the Quadrangle, with that record that isn’t the same as the
which are both used for digital and analogue recording. one I have. My best friend [Tim Mooney] and
I made that record, and he’s dead. There are
“There was an amazing vibe in Rockfield – John set it up so we could do reasons why it’s difficult for me to listen to
an analogue record, and then we mixed it and did some overdubs in Bristol,” it, which are maybe the same reasons why
says Murry. other people are attracted to it. That’s okay,
but it’s difficult.
“I don’t think there’s anything gratuitous about going into an analogue
studio, as there’s so few of them left in the world.” Until recently, it’s been difficult for me to
conceptualise performing those songs live –
SH: What was the recording process like and how was it working with it’s as if they’re kind of a living force. I know
John Parish? that sounds dark, but it felt like it was almost
JM: It was interesting – I’ve never made a record like that before. in honour of the record – Tim died two weeks
before it came out. Over time, I became
It was uncomfortable and nerve-wracking to begin with, because I didn’t almost resentful of its existence.
know where we were going.
Some of the songs on the new album,
It was like, ‘I don’t know what the f***’s going on, or if this is even a record,’ like the title track, and the first single,
but then suddenly, he played me stuff back and it worked – we did more and ‘Oscar Wilde (Came Here To Make Fun
more stuff in an uninhibited way, without thinking about it. Of You’) have been around for a while,
haven’t they? You’ve been performing
It was like we were both trying to figure each other out the whole time – them live over the past few years…
that process created the record. I didn’t have a lot of the songs finished – I just Michael Timmins and I left the song ‘The
wanted to bring them in and see what happened. Stars Are God’s Bullet Holes’ off the last
record, because it didn’t work sonically within
There aren’t a whole lot of players on the record, but the engineers got the context of it.
involved and became musicians – it was great fun. I roped [engineer] Joe Jones
in to come back to Bristol after Rockfield to play with the tapes and make some I like ‘Oscar Wilde’, but it’s always
loops. John has an incredible ability to create a collaborative process and space. bothered me – I felt like I couldn’t finish it. It
didn’t work. I’ve played with different ways
You’ve made three solo albums – all with different producers: Tim of doing it – with just an acoustic guitar, or
Mooney, Michael Timmins and now John Parish. Has it been a more grandiose, like the Dylan outtake, ‘Red
different process each time and, if so, how? River Shore.’
There’s one thing they all have in common, which is a way of dealing with
another person’s hysteria. They can tolerate and embrace what’s truly weird
about someone and encourage it, but also rein it in. They create an environment
where you can trust them.

With John, I could let go and see where we went. What kind of a maniac
tries to earn a living by making a record? Especially someone like me. You must
be vaguely self-destructive. I’ve heard Ry Cooder say similar things.

104 ISSUE 197

105 ISSUE 197

MUSIC INTERVIEW / JOHN MURRY

“I wrote it when I was at Luke Oldfield’s
studio [Tilehouse, in Buckinghamshire] –
he’s Mike Oldfield’s son.”

I think it’s dark lyrically, but, musically, it’s lighter than your previous
records.
The guitar sound on [the song] ‘The Stars Are God’s Bullet Holes’ is heavy, but
it’s not dark – the lyrics are incredibly dark.

The guitars are kind of a real Motörhead thing.

When I did it with John, he just started I think that song sounds similar to the sound of your previous
playing a beat – I wanted something like album…
the D’Angelo song ‘1000 Deaths’, from the That record was almost sonically thematic and sounds like Mike did it. This
album Black Messiah. He said, ‘Oh, I’ve been record sounds like John did it.
wanting to do that forever!’ The song came
back to life. There’s some great pedal steel on the new album, played by Joe
Harvey-Whyte of The Hanging Stars…
The third single, ‘I Refuse To Believe Joe’s a genius – I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. Everything he does is
You Could Love Me’, has a kind of interesting. It has nothing to do with the instrument – it’s just the way he looks
garage-rock feel – it’s very loose… at music and creates it.
I wanted to make a record by The Cars –
I love Ric Ocasek – that’s what I was going Your friend, singer-songwriter, Nadine Khouri, sings on ‘Oscar Wilde
for. I wrote it when I was at Luke Oldfield’s (Came Here To Make Fun Of You’) and some of the other songs on
studio [Tilehouse, in Buckinghamshire] – he’s the record…
Mike Oldfield’s son. That was a serendipitous thing – John and I were talking about getting
someone to sing on it. He suggested Nadine – it was perfect. I’d forgotten
There’s a guitar bit at the end, which was that they’d worked together. She came in and she was incredible.
me trying to do the Pixies’ ‘Wave of Mutilation
(UK Surf)’ version, but I didn’t know that at You’ve covered Duran Duran’s ‘Ordinary World.’ Are you a big fan?
the time – it suddenly hit me. I love Duran Duran – it was written when Simon Le Bon went to a grocery store
and realised the glory days were over. To me, the lyrics always had depth.
There’s some great piano on ‘Ones + When I was in first grade, I thought the song was incredible – the production
Zeros…’ is really strange. I like to do a cover on every record – John Parish thought it
Thank you for saying that – that’s me on was a great idea.
piano. I said to John Parish, ‘Man – I’m really
sorry, but this sounds like Coldplay!’ He said, He plays a Led Zeppelin-like bassline on it – it’s got a drony vibe and it
‘That’s funny because Chris Martin played keeps pulling you back in. I’ve heard there are complaints when people change
that piano.’ a Duran Duran bassline – I think John has broken the cardinal rule.

Do you think there’s a theme to this Would you like it if Duran Duran covered one of your songs?
album? That would be incredible. I want to hang out with Simon Le Bon.
I think it has an arc – I wanted it to have
some continuity and to be more playful – to The Stars Are God’s Bullet Holes by John Murry is out now on Submarine
be less dark. Cat Records. www.johnmurry.com

106 ISSUE 197

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record MUSIC REVIEW / CONTEMPORARY
reviews
Black to the Future 120g CD
How To Read Them
Sons of Kemet Kemet contributor and poet Joshua
The information contained in the Impulse! 3571130 Idehen top and tailing the record as
record reviews is presented in the he did so memorably on Your Queen
following way. Albums are identified In Black to the Future, Sons of Kemet is a Reptile. This approach gives the
by label and – where possible – serial have crafted a powerful, raging record a genuine air of storytelling,
number. Beneath this you will find political statement of a record. One and even the track titles are designed
one or more icons that denote the that once again pushes London’s to be read as a poem.
available formats for the recording. fruitful jazz scene into the limelight.
The first icon refers to the format Although its jazz digs directly into Another change is Hutchings’
reviewed. the band’s African heritage, Black to focus on woodwind rather than
the Future is also heavily dosed with saxophone. But, taken as a whole,
The ratings at the bottom of influences from the current worlds of Black to the Future is a raucous,
each review reflect the reviewer’s Hip-Hop and Grime. mind-blowing collection of thought-
opinion of the recording quality, provoking music. Yes, there are strong
and musical merits of the album. Black to the Future is Sons of messages – inspired by George
You’ll soon realise that a great many Kemet’s fourth album, and the follow Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives
musically significant albums offer less up to 2018’s sensational Mercury Matter movement – but the album
than wonderful sound. Don’t let it Prize nominated Your Queen is a itself sounds just as celebratory as it
put you off! For your information, the Reptile. Now firmly established on does righteously angry.
scale rates a standard, good quality the legendary Jazz label Impulse!, the
pop recording as slightly below band’s first break came on the Naim Stand out tracks are plentiful, but
average. Jazz label, with their debut Burn, the lead single ‘Hustle’ warrants a
albeit it with a different line-up that special call out. Kojey Radical delivers
This issue’s featured reviewers are: included Seb Rochford on drums. sublimely lyrical vocals and the track
works both as a standalone statement
DD – Dennis Davis Sons of Kemet today comprises and as part of the flow of this highly
JMH – Jimmy Hughes band leader – and shining star of engaging record. Elsewhere, ‘Let
SH – Sean Hannam the UK Jazz revolution – Shabaka the Circle be Unbroken’ showcases
JK – Jason Kennedy Hutchings on woodwinds, Theon how Theon Cross’s highly articulate
SM – Shaun Marin Cross on tuba, and the dual driving tuba performance drives the music
force of drummers Edward Wakili- in a way normally associated with a
CD CD 120g 120g LP Hicks and Tom Skinner (who has also dexterously played bass guitar or –
just taken up stick duties in Thom more usually in the world of UK Hip-
CD Gold CD 150g 150g LP York and Johnny Greenwood’s new Hop and Grime – samples and synths.
band The Smile).
HD HDCD 180g 180g LP Black to the Future is a truly
One of the key developments on expectational album. One of those
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Disc Dawid and D Double E all take on above all entertain. SM
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120g It’s also great to have regular Sons of
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111 ISSUE 197

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112 ISSUE 197

MUSIC REVIEW / CONTEMPORARY

Journey To The Sun CD like a minnow, but you used to have
friends, until you let them down’.
Peter Bruntnell Effect and Moon Committee, which
(Domestico Records) could be incidental music from a ‘70s There’s also a nod to his
sci-fi TV show, or a film soundtrack. troubadour heritage with a beautiful
During lockdown, New Zealand- version of the traditional folk song,
born, UK-based Americana singer- “I’d been listening to Another ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’, which was
songwriter, Bruntnell, was holed-up Green World by Brian Eno and had covered by Bob Dylan.
in his house in Devon, learning how been thinking about doing some more
to play a newly-acquired bouzouki electro-style stuff for a while now, so Some of the album was co-
and writing songs for his twelfth it all just fell into place. And Bowie’s written with Bruntnell’s long-time
studio album, Journey To The Sun, Low has been one of my favourite collaborator, Bill Ritchie, while US
which he recorded and self-produced records for years,” says Bruntnell, musician and mastering engineer,
in his basement studio. His latest adding: “Apart from a bit of Eno, I’m Peter Linnane, laid down organ,
record has much more of a sparse not sure what other influences directly concertina, Mellotron and piano, and
and stripped-down feel than its full- inspired the songs. Maybe some Iain Sloan plays pedal steel guitar on
band predecessors – 2016’s Nos Da Brian Wilson…” the widescreen Americana of ‘Dharma
Comrade, which had some heavy, Liar’, which clocks in at around eight
Neil Young-style riffing on it, and Retro synths may have infiltrated minutes.
2019’s sublime, King of Madrid, with his sound, and buying the bouzouki
its jangly, Beatlesy guitar pop. forced him to be more experimental “I sent the first song to Pete,
when composing this album, but, like to ask him if the light compression
“I felt like I wanted to make Wilson, Bruntnell has an extraordinary I had on the mix was okay for the
more of a solo record, which just gift for writing gorgeous, melodic mastering job,” explains Bruntnell. “He
so happened to coincide with the songs, that are laced with feelings of came back to me saying it was fine,
pandemic,” says Bruntnell. “That longing, regret, nostalgia, loss and and he sent some pump organ and
would mean more acoustic guitar, melancholy. concertina parts, in case I might like
and I bought a bouzouki in March last to mix them in. I had a listen and liked
year, which really was a catalyst for Opener, the stunning, ‘Dandelion’, all his parts, so I kept them, and that
quite a few songs being written in a is an atmospheric horror folk song became the pattern for nearly every
very short timeframe. Oh, and I had that sounds like English singer- song thereafter.”
bought a drum machine and a new songwriter, Matt Deighton, or Pink
synthesiser too.” Moon-era Nick Drake being produced Twelve albums into his career,
by Eno; the lovely ‘Lucifer Morning and, in normal times, one of the
Yes – that’s right, Americana fans Star’ has warm, burbling synths and most hardworking performers in the
– don’t choke on your pale ale, but chiming 12-string guitar, while ‘Heart UK, Bruntnell deserves much more
Journey To The Sun has vintage synth of Straw’ is classic Bruntnell – an recognition for his music.
sounds all over it. aching, acoustic, country-tinged
ballad – and first single, ‘You’d Make This probably won’t be the album
It’s not Kraftwerk or Berlin- A Great Widow’, is laced with his wry that takes him to a wider audience,
era Bowie by any stretch of the and offbeat humour, but wrapped up but if you’ve never heard him before,
imagination, but some of the songs in one of the prettiest tunes you’re it’s the perfect place to start your
have been fleshed-out with strange likely to hear all year. journey. SH
electronic noises and textures, and
there are a couple of short and Bruntnell can be acerbic and RECORDING
spacey instrumentals, The Antwerp quietly devastating. On the chorus of
MUSIC
‘You’d Make A Great Widow’,
he tells his target, ‘You’ve got a mind

113 ISSUE 197

MUSIC REVIEW / AUDIOPHILE & JAZZ

Nilsson Schmilsson 180g 45RPM best. Filling in on some tunes were
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Harry Nilsson best remembered today as the singer on saxophone, both taking time off
Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-498 of the theme song from Midnight from their regular activity backing The
Cowboy (a cover of Fred Neil’s Rolling Stones. A couple handfuls of
If there was a contest to identify ‘Everybody’s Talking’), and his hit other top players filled in the blanks.
the label that released some of the song ‘Without You’ from this album. Nilsson took on Richard Perry as a
best music of the 1970s in truly And, of course, his love of Brandy producer resulting in an album more
abysmal pressings, I would put my Alexanders and drunken brawls in polished, if less whimsical, than his
money on RCA’s American pressing the company of John Lennon during first six studio efforts.
plants. RCA’s UK operation had its Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” 18-month
game together much better than separation from Yoko. Nilsson is at his Mobile Fidelity released a CD of
the Americans. A prime example songwriting best in this 1971 classic this album in 1990. This new 45 RPM
is Bowie’s Hunky Dory from 1971. where he shows off his 3½ octave LP set, limited to 4,000 copies,
The original still sounds better by range. Do not be fooled by the fuzzy as well as 2,500 SACD units sold
far than anything reissued in the last cover photo of Nilsson looking dreamy out almost the moment they were
half century and puts its American in a bathrobe holding a hash pipe—he released. The word must have leaked
counterpart to shame. is absolutely brilliant here. The album out about how good the sound is. The
opens with ‘Gotta Get Up’, a clever thin sound of the original was likely
Around the same time, Harry double entendre before Nilsson’s lyrics the result of pressing shortcomings,
Nilsson, an American singer- became less ambiguous. The jazz as it was mastered by Doug Sax. The
songwriter, flew to London to record standard ‘Early In The Morning’, one sound here is significantly better than
most of the tracks on Nilsson of three songs not written by Nilsson any previous version in producing
Schmilsson, his seventh and most and one of two recorded in Los dynamic scale, instrumental texture
celebrated LP, but the master Angeles, has him singing blues over and a three-dimensional soundstage.
tapes were then transported to The syncopated organ.’ The Moonbeam Nilsson’s voice, and especially the
Mastering Lab in Los Angeles, and Song’ is one of his most beautiful uniquely beautiful upper register,
the first release (in the US) was on compositions and his dreamy delivery were never captured better. The eight
thin Dynaflex vinyl better described makes it a highlight of the album. songs recorded at Trident Studios are
as ‘Dynawarp’ with sound quality to Nilsson’s cover of the Badfinger song especially impressive sounding, as
match. Within a year, the album was ‘Without You’ allows him to show off with other great Trident recordings like
released in the UK with thicker vinyl, his full range, and was his biggest Let It Bleed and Hunky Dory. If your
but the sound quality remained thin. hit, but it is ‘Coconut’, the Calypso local record shop still has a copy in
infused hit that I find most worthy of hand, do not delay—one of the happy
Nilsson built his reputation as a repeat playing. However, the album results of the Pandemic for record
Los Angeles songwriter. His material is strong throughout and there is no sales is that they have exploded,
was recorded by The Monkees, letdown throughout its ten songs. This requiring music lovers to keep on top
Three Dog Night (remember ‘One’ is is in large part thanks to the world of release lists or risk being left behind
the loneliest number), The Yardbirds, class group of players assembled or paying scalpers prices. DD
Glen Cambell and many others. He for the album. With Jim Gordon on
eventually quit his bank day job and drums and Klaus Voormann, Chris RECORDING
started work in the studio recording Spedding, Herbie Flower and John
his own material, but never became Uribe on guitars and bass, Nilsson MUSIC
a household name in part because of had a group used to backing the
his refusal to perform publicly. He is
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