Murder By Death begins its tour opening for Say Anything next month. Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon will be released by Bloodshot Records on September 25th.
Review by Daniel del Ben
Continuing where it left off from 2010′s Good Morning Magpie, Murder by Death continues to strip away the a lot of its Ennio Morricone influence, traditional Eastern European sounds and waltzes to continue to veer toward a more straight-forward folky rock band.
Although a lot less unique, compared to earlier works, the band’s sixth full-length album is pretty solid from start to finish. As a record, it’s also a big improvement from the previous album, which has some pretty high ups and some really low downs. And, while Good Morning, Magpie had some really amazing songs such as the title track, the album also contained a few turkeys.
Not to say that Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon doesn’t have standout tracks. The minimalistic opening track, “My Hill,” is a great lead off to the album. I really prefer the slower tunes to the rocker; they’re a bit a bit moodier and showcase the vocals and cello. “No Oath, No Spell” is a perfect example of this as well, and I believe stands as the album’s strongest track. “Go to the Light” is another fantastic song and reminiscent of some of the later tracks off of In Bocca Al Lupo.
It’s also worth noting that the band is again a quintet. Former Okervil River member Scott Brackett has been playing live shows and officially joined Murder by Death last summer. He rounds out the band with a variety of instruments including accordion, piano and mandolin that adds a nice variety to the album.
Murder By Death begins its tour opening for Say Anything next month. Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon will be released by Bloodshot Records on September 25th. For more info, visit www.muderbydeath.com.
