Monday, November 2, 2009

oral examination

Róisín Murphy has returned. "Orally Fixated" is the first single from her forthcoming longplayer, the follow up to "Overpowered", a masterpiece of epic proportions that might prove difficult to improve upon. The single will "hit the shops" in the UK on November 16.

What can I say about a song that starts with Róisín repeatedly reciting the phrase, "Eat me.", in a somewhat mischievous and coquettish voice? The track is a bit herky jerky in the percussion department and features a slamming snare which gives it a slight, 80s club feel.

The verses are dark but the chorus, which sits over a sparse, manic arrangement, has a very sweet feel to it. Sounds like someone had a field day editing the rapid fire, rhythm track in ProTools. Then, out of nowhere comes a squealing, guitar solo before dubbing out through to the end. Currently, she is streaming it on her MySpace page. Check it out!

At the moment, Róisín is nine months preggers and ready to drop something more than some fresh beats! Surely the saucy single sleeve was taken before she was with child. Apparently, the queen of cool has three singles ready to unleash on her rapidly increasing fanbase.

Earlier in the year, she suggested "Demon Lover" would begin the campaign for the new album. Perhaps she's holding back the goods until after the birth of her child. She's such a tease!

2 comments:

  1. "The track is a bit herky jerky in the percussion department and features a slamming snare which gives it a slight, 80s club feel."

    One also needs to give credit to the blatant tape delay, reverb and tremolo effects playing a functional role in this cut. Sounds like they push the feedback up towards 50% as well- great stuff. I can only imagine what the 12" will sound like- beautiful, played-out, "wet" breakdowns clearly emphasizing Murphy's voice and the 80s laden effects characterized by this track.

    Hey Vin, looking forward to your guest lecture at SUNY Oneonta. It's about time somebody teaches these kids about pop music.

    Check out Sally Shapiro- I KNOW you'll certainly dig her. Super clever stuff. One of those artists/groups worth grabbing the LP ya know.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNoDvQ7JqkM

    Bring back the italo disco/synth pop!

    Cheers,
    Dan

    ps.
    I write for DBM Labs, a west-coast life style brand for DJs, producers and re-mixers. They recruited me to write about current trends and sounds. I've turned Joe onto some great stuff. Speak soon. Check out some of my most recent articles...

    http://www.dbmlabs.com/blog/2009/10/20/if-you-dont-know-then-now-you-know-10-cutting-edge-tracks/

    http://www.dbmlabs.com/blog/2009/09/21/top-14-dbmlabs-summer-soundtracks-of-2009-house-dance-electro-edition-part-2/

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Anonymous - Hey Dan! Looking forward to the lecture, as well! Once I start talking it will take a battalion of army recruits to shut me up! :)

    I have the Sally Shapiro album. My favorite track is "Love In July". Beautifully sublime. Love it. The new Alphabeat single, "The Spell", has a lot of Italo disco influences, too. Another great tune.

    I see you've studied your 80s production techniques! That's part of what I like about "Orally Fixated". The tape delay in the dub parts toward the end are fantastic. And there are a couple of parts that aren't quite locked up in time which gives it a more DIY feel to it.

    See you on Thursday!

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