Durrzerker
Banned
Thread title's a bit of a bit of a running joke. The name's actually based off a 1976 comedy film by the same name. They initially started off as Little Joe Gould, but changed things up later. But enough about that, let's talk about the music!
Feel free to ignore all the text and just check out the music, I'm just super enthusiastic about this band, y'all.
Murder By Death is a fantastic five-piece rock band hailing from Indiana. Covering a lot of space with some gothic and folk influences, they tend to have a distinctly western vibe, conjuring images of gunslingers, hard drinkers, and deals with the devil. Their sound is made distinct by their wonderful celloist, Sarah Chalke, and the guitarwork and vocals of Adam Turla, their music is fantastic, and I'm always a little disappointed by how few people know them, so I thought I'd share my favorite band with people on GAF.
Their sound has evolved a LOT between albums, too, generally going from a somewhat traditional western rock sound to something a lot more inspired, rugged, and salty. In my opinion.
TLDR? Something like 'Johnny Cash meets Radiohead'.
So far, they've got seven studio albums, with some other cover work they've done. Since this thread is inspired by the Devin Townsend one [who I'm a huge fan of], I'll take cue from it, and post two awesome songs from each, with a couple notes about the evolution of their sound.
Like the Exorcist but More Breakdancing (2002)
A Caucus Race
Intergalactic Menopause
This is their first album since becoming MBD, and tends to be a little more 'traditional' rock. Adam's voice is higher and a far cry from what it'll become in later albums, and the transitions tend to be pretty soft. A Caucus Race is a fun rock track that starts slow but builds, while Intergalactic Menopause is a more thoughtful, relaxed tune. TLDR: It's my least favorite album by them for representing their current sound, but it's still very good by any measure in my opinion.
Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them? (2003)
Desert's On Fire
Pillars of Salt
In their second album, Murder By Death started carving out their identity. Adam let his accent into his singing more, and the storytelling in each song became more gothic and dark. The album tells a story of the Devil waging war on a Mexican village due to a deal gone bad. In Desert's On Fire, we have a hard-rockin' track about the Devil making threats. Pillars of Salt is a somber, morbid song about the broken will of the survivors and them questioning their survival. TLDR: Their first themed album and a great look at the roots of their current sound.
In Bocca Al Lupo (2006)
Brother
Shiola
MBD's third album keeps along the path that their last one set them on. Acoustic guitar, impressive fiddle-like cello play, and some serious Johnny Cash inspiration bleed through into one of my favorites. Brother is a quick, peppy tune about the trials of a troublesome family member, while Shiola is a heartbreaking track that some might confuse by being by the Man In Black himself, about a man mourning his dead wife and child. TLDR: Western as fuck, jammin' as fuck. We're getting into the gold territory now.
Red of Tooth and Claw (2008)
Rum Brave
Steal Away
If the second album added the brimstone, this one adds the salt. Arguably MBD's hardest album, it starts bringing in high-energy songs that tend to be about terrible people who thrive on conflict. It's incredible. Rum Brave is about a hard-ass killer who roams the land, while Steal Away is about two lovers whose relationship is abhorred by the woman's parents. TLDR: If you only listen to one song in this whole thread, make it Rum Brave.
Good Morning, Magpie (2010)
King of the Gutters, Prince of the Dogs
Good Morning, Magpie
According to other members of the band, Adam Turla basically wrote this album while living in the mountains and surviving off the wild for three months. Pretty cool. Generally softer than their previous works, it's heavy on folksy sounds, the first push they really made outside of songs like Shiola into seriously 'country' territory. King of the Gutters, Prince of the Dogs is a pleasant track about an old wanderer on hard times, and Good Morning, Magpie is a tearjerker about not wanting to be a burden to someone's freedom. TLDR: Folk and country themes added to their western rock sound.
Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon (2012)
I Came Around
Ghost Fields
Their second-newest album represents what I think is a flawless fusion of what made their previous ones great; western rock, folk, and country themes have great synergy here. I Came Around is a raucous tune about a man going to the funeral of a former rival he thought he hated, while Ghost Fields is a folksier song about a village whose people and history has become lost to time. TLDR: A great combination of what made previous albums shine, and a good look at their current sound.
Big Dark Love (2015)
Big Dark Love
Send Me Home
Murder By Death's newest album is about love in all its forms; obsessive and unhealthy, protective and fatherly, wounded and bleeding. With a stellar mix of rock and folk songs, it's also the first album to include the band's fifth member, David Fountain, who plays a variety of instruments for them such as piano, percussion, mandolin, and banjo. Big Dark Love is a noir-feeling track about a stalker who just can't leave the object of his affection alone, while Send Me Home is a haunting, but beautiful story about an old and broken man who's just ready to die so he won't be a burden anymore. TLDR: An exploration of love, both bright and dark.
--
Das it, mang. If you like what you see here, please check them out and support them, and I'd love to hear from other MBD fans or those who checked out some of the tracks in this thread! I'll also answer any questions I can about them.
Feel free to ignore all the text and just check out the music, I'm just super enthusiastic about this band, y'all.
Murder By Death is a fantastic five-piece rock band hailing from Indiana. Covering a lot of space with some gothic and folk influences, they tend to have a distinctly western vibe, conjuring images of gunslingers, hard drinkers, and deals with the devil. Their sound is made distinct by their wonderful celloist, Sarah Chalke, and the guitarwork and vocals of Adam Turla, their music is fantastic, and I'm always a little disappointed by how few people know them, so I thought I'd share my favorite band with people on GAF.
Their sound has evolved a LOT between albums, too, generally going from a somewhat traditional western rock sound to something a lot more inspired, rugged, and salty. In my opinion.
TLDR? Something like 'Johnny Cash meets Radiohead'.
So far, they've got seven studio albums, with some other cover work they've done. Since this thread is inspired by the Devin Townsend one [who I'm a huge fan of], I'll take cue from it, and post two awesome songs from each, with a couple notes about the evolution of their sound.
Like the Exorcist but More Breakdancing (2002)
A Caucus Race
Intergalactic Menopause
This is their first album since becoming MBD, and tends to be a little more 'traditional' rock. Adam's voice is higher and a far cry from what it'll become in later albums, and the transitions tend to be pretty soft. A Caucus Race is a fun rock track that starts slow but builds, while Intergalactic Menopause is a more thoughtful, relaxed tune. TLDR: It's my least favorite album by them for representing their current sound, but it's still very good by any measure in my opinion.
Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them? (2003)
Desert's On Fire
Pillars of Salt
In their second album, Murder By Death started carving out their identity. Adam let his accent into his singing more, and the storytelling in each song became more gothic and dark. The album tells a story of the Devil waging war on a Mexican village due to a deal gone bad. In Desert's On Fire, we have a hard-rockin' track about the Devil making threats. Pillars of Salt is a somber, morbid song about the broken will of the survivors and them questioning their survival. TLDR: Their first themed album and a great look at the roots of their current sound.
In Bocca Al Lupo (2006)
Brother
Shiola
MBD's third album keeps along the path that their last one set them on. Acoustic guitar, impressive fiddle-like cello play, and some serious Johnny Cash inspiration bleed through into one of my favorites. Brother is a quick, peppy tune about the trials of a troublesome family member, while Shiola is a heartbreaking track that some might confuse by being by the Man In Black himself, about a man mourning his dead wife and child. TLDR: Western as fuck, jammin' as fuck. We're getting into the gold territory now.
Red of Tooth and Claw (2008)
Rum Brave
Steal Away
If the second album added the brimstone, this one adds the salt. Arguably MBD's hardest album, it starts bringing in high-energy songs that tend to be about terrible people who thrive on conflict. It's incredible. Rum Brave is about a hard-ass killer who roams the land, while Steal Away is about two lovers whose relationship is abhorred by the woman's parents. TLDR: If you only listen to one song in this whole thread, make it Rum Brave.
Good Morning, Magpie (2010)
King of the Gutters, Prince of the Dogs
Good Morning, Magpie
According to other members of the band, Adam Turla basically wrote this album while living in the mountains and surviving off the wild for three months. Pretty cool. Generally softer than their previous works, it's heavy on folksy sounds, the first push they really made outside of songs like Shiola into seriously 'country' territory. King of the Gutters, Prince of the Dogs is a pleasant track about an old wanderer on hard times, and Good Morning, Magpie is a tearjerker about not wanting to be a burden to someone's freedom. TLDR: Folk and country themes added to their western rock sound.
Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon (2012)
I Came Around
Ghost Fields
Their second-newest album represents what I think is a flawless fusion of what made their previous ones great; western rock, folk, and country themes have great synergy here. I Came Around is a raucous tune about a man going to the funeral of a former rival he thought he hated, while Ghost Fields is a folksier song about a village whose people and history has become lost to time. TLDR: A great combination of what made previous albums shine, and a good look at their current sound.
Big Dark Love (2015)
Big Dark Love
Send Me Home
Murder By Death's newest album is about love in all its forms; obsessive and unhealthy, protective and fatherly, wounded and bleeding. With a stellar mix of rock and folk songs, it's also the first album to include the band's fifth member, David Fountain, who plays a variety of instruments for them such as piano, percussion, mandolin, and banjo. Big Dark Love is a noir-feeling track about a stalker who just can't leave the object of his affection alone, while Send Me Home is a haunting, but beautiful story about an old and broken man who's just ready to die so he won't be a burden anymore. TLDR: An exploration of love, both bright and dark.
--
Das it, mang. If you like what you see here, please check them out and support them, and I'd love to hear from other MBD fans or those who checked out some of the tracks in this thread! I'll also answer any questions I can about them.
