Murphy's Kids
This Voice

I bought this demo from Murphy's Kids when they were on the Empress Ballroom date of the Southern Ska Tour. Needless to say, I was impressed with their show, but they seemed to be more interested in finding a place to stay than selling their merchandise. Live, these guys reminded me a lot of the blend of ska, prog, rock, and punk that the Rx Bandits use. Like the Rx Bandits, you really have to listen to this CD more than once to fully grasp its subtleties and complexities.

The first track is a piano intro, which doesn't really lead into anything, and seems kind of arbitrary, however well it is played. The second track, "What Do You Think?," is my favorite tune on the recording. A low drum fill leads into a complex brass melody that really makes the track for me. When I saw them, they only had two trombones, but this demo seems to also have a trumpet, which gets them away from any MU330 likeness in blend. Not only is this track funky at some parts, but its also very third wave and danceable. The vocals fit their style very well, but they're definitely mixed a little too high. In contrast, I think the entire rhythm section, especially the drums and guitar, are far too low. Overall though, this track is really well written and catchy, and even though it's over five and half minutes long, it keeps your interest. The third track, "Jack and Jill," is the lyrical highlight for me on this record. In addition, the mix of the guitar and horns gives the song a heavy kick that drives the choruses. The verses are very wide open and lyrical. There's a slow up-stroked breakdown that I wish they had explored more thoroughly, but having it as a small point of interest in this song really shows you how many styles they explore. There's a guitar breakdown towards the end of the song that is a little too long in my opinion, but the conclusion of the song is well worth the wait. Explosive instrumentation and great lyrics bring this song to a dramatic close. The next song, "Kicked in the Dick," picks up the pace a little into a very punk-oriented tune. But, there are very awesome horn accents in this song that you have to strain to hear. Again, this is a little mixing issue, but musically, they're where they need to be. This song is also the first place on the demo that I hear vocal harmonies and a trombone solo, and both come out really well. The fifth track, "Breaker," initially comes off as being a metal tune, but blends into a ska hook with a minor horn line, which I really like. The horns are trying to play a lot of notes, so they miss a few, but usually one of them picks up the slack. There are a few screams that sound pretty horrendous, but they're mixed low, so they're pretty ignorable. The last track on the demo, "The Goods," slows down the tempo a lot in the verses and lets you concentrate on the messages of the lead singer. The choruses are very lyrically strong, and there's a horn line following the chorus that really shows off a really awesome blend. The screams from the last track also apply to this track, but they're at a more hard part of the song where they fit better. The guitarist also takes a solo that really fits their style of complexity and drive, accompanied by a powerful horn line underneath it. The end of this song is really a "last hoorah" for the band as they build it up to one final scream and fading guitar feedback that's a real cliffhanger. I listened to this CD four times over in the car before I fought the urge to take it out after this apex at the end.

Despite what the final product was, you could really see that Murphy's Kids is a group of excellent musicians who gave this record 100%. Although the mixing and small details of the playing fall a little short at very isolated parts, I still really enjoy this record. I don't know how often we'll see these guys around here, because they're based in Richmond, VA, but they're definitely worth seeing. While you're at it, pick up a copy of "This Voice EP," because you'll definitely get your money's worth.

Reviewed By:  Todd Springer

Date:  Sat 2 Sep 06

Score:  7.0

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