Customer Reviews

Good Morning, Magpie

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There really isn't much explanation needed if you are already a MBD fan. This album is dark, slightly comical and uplifting at the same time. I truly felt as if I was alone in the woods or in a desolate town drinking whiskey and waiting for a storm to come take me out. That won't sound ridiculous to anybody who is already familiar with Murder By Death's previous work.

The album does stand alone from their other recent releases in that it's not a concept album. It was basically conceived while Adam Turla was camping solo for two weeks in the Tennessee smokey mountains. It is sure to leave you with "spooky" feelings. It ranks up high with all of their other albums.

Highlights include: On The Dark Streets Below, Piece By Piece, Good Morning Magpie, Yes, Foxglove, White Noise and The Day. I didn't enjoy the first two tracks of the album as much as some people but overall you can't do better than this.

I love Murder by Death and have all of their albums. Their fourth installment, Good Morning, Magpie, follows in some of the same hell-is-coming tone as before but still is able to offer a new sound. I enjoy the songs Yes and Foxglove; they are reminiscent their songs Fuego! or The Devil Drives. In The Dark Streets Below and You Don't Miss Twice, MbD pushes the boundaries of where their music has been before by trying different things, new sounds, and adding new instruments. Don't worry, though. There are still plenty of songs about armageddon and whiskey.

If you are new to Murder by Death, this may be a good starter album. Each song offers something different, and overall, the album isn't as dark as their earlier work. If you've heard good things about them but couldn't get into their previous concept albums, this CD is definitely worth a listen!

So I shall preface my review with that I am already a MBD fan, and feel everyone really should be. Turla is in fact very poetic in an apocalyptic dreamer way, and musically they stand apart not conforming to your typical notions. I for one am not a fan of country but they have some country in their music but it's dark, dramatic, and cathartic.

Now onto the review, good morning magpie opens with Kentucky bourbon an intro which is comical but also sorrowful, it leads perfectly into "As long as there is Whiskey in the World" which struck both myself and a few others who I've listened to as it could have been written by Gaelic Storm (not a dig on MBD as GS is good.) it's a fun/sad song about drinking away the pain.

The 3rd song changes the tone and is VERY Cash-esque. The Dark Streets Below are just that dark but not brooding as Red Of Tooth and Claw was(it was I felt the pervasive feeling throughout the entire album) but more interesting. King of the Gutters, Prince of the Dogs is a Dark song and continues the tone set on track 3 but more quiet and lonely. Turla almost croons in parts and this is the first track I really feel the aloneness he felt while writing the album. Piece by peice also lonely sounding, and sounds mostly like their previous releases and fairly brooding but also building the layering of this track is great and I think could have been released on their last album just for tone sake.

Good morning Magpie the 6th track and albums namesake makes the brooding lonely feeling mix with a foreboding that is in and of itself just lovely. It's a warning song in that it's speaking directly to someone who is seeking to help the main character. The cello is perfection in this song it sings and compliments Turla's vocals in just a magical way.

The Up tempo of You Don't Miss Twice(when shaving with a knife) is possibly their most fun song they've ever recorded and I think will be even better live with droves of people clapping out the rhythm.
Yes and Foxglove are not my favorite on this album but good none the less, Yes is sad but trying to be uplifting. I think it is the only actual sad song they've written. Foxglove is a quasi love song and belongs on this album but it's not my favorite track.

White Noise however is, it sounds like the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse bearing down on you it's DARK DARK DARK and interesting. I don't know quite how to capture this song in words it's fantastic.

The Day closes out this album and is also apocalyptic and very good.

In Summation if you're not a fan of Murder By Death but like Johnny Cash you should download this album. If you are a Fan what the hell are waiting for.

The lead singer has a quirky voice that you either love or hate. I find it interesting. The cello I love but prefer the "real" cello over the electric version.

Wow. Every time I hear something by MBD it gives me goosebumps. Now maybe it's because I am a fan of westerns. Or I enjoy the later writings of Cormac McCarthy. Or I love the fact that, with their style of music, have completely stripped the romance from the genre of the west, and painted a grey scale of what life was once was like. I started on MDB with who will survive and what will be left of them, and every time I close my eyes I swear I was sitting in a piano saloon, rinsing sand and blood out of my mouth with a few shots of whiskey. I literally feel cooler when I listen to this band, I can't help it. I want to spit and fight, and not necessarily in that order.

His storytelling is simple, not wordy, but he still gets the point across. And he sounds and looks like Elvis and Cash had a manbaby...with mutton chops.

Do yourself a favor and read the reviews and then buy this album and go somewhere quiet and listen to it on headphones. Then buy the rest of them they are all good.

If one was to believe the hyperventilating reviews that precede this one, you might have the impression that Good Morning, Magpie is the finest album to have ever been released. Well, no...while Murder By Death has been an original and very interesting band, this CD gives the listener mostly a lot of the same ol' same ol'. That doesn't mean its not good but it doesn't come near to matching their crown jewel In Bocca Al Lupo in either quality or originality.
To be sure, there are some great cuts here but the rest say nothing new. My favorites are the fiery, energetic On the Dark Streets Below; Piece By Piece which harks in spirit back to their finest work; the slow but inexorable title cut; the whimsical You Don't Miss Twice When You're Shaving With A Knife; and the delightfully dark White Noise.
The CD comes tastefully packaged in digipak form with the musicians' pictures inside and includes a folding insert that displays the lyrics and album information. If you are already a confirmed fan, you will probably like this one. If you are new to the band, I suggest buying at least one more of the band's CDs in addition to this in order to give yourself a better idea of what Murder By Death is about. Enjoy!