Murder!
General
| Jan 2019
Reviews
Telepathic Juan
Reviewed 2019-01-29
Reviewed 2019-01-29
Murder! is the sixth and first record in over 15 years by the legendary Santa Cruz shoegaze band Bethany Curve. Ethereal pop exercises soaked in reverb and melancholy. Stirring comeback.
Something else from the music blog post-punk.com:
Bethany Curve was at the peak of their powers in the early 2000s, releasing the reverb-drenched Flaxen in 2003 before vanishing without much of a trace. Since then, the band has taken time to recalibrate and craft their sixth release, kicking off with lead-track “Frontier,” which was released via Soundcloud in mid-November. Each track on the record is a reflective meditation on dreaming, pieced together through the band’s surrealist soundscape and Richard Millang (mastermind of the group)’s passionate lyrics.
RIYL: Slowdive, Los Kowalski, Swervedriver, Ride and Catherine Wheel.
FCC CLEAN!
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9
1. (6:35) **I’m Alive – Slow/medium tempo. Spotless reverb driven guitars, inspired vocals, intense sonic tension. Playable cut.
2. (4:15) ***Dreamland – Slow/medium tempo. Similar to previous recording. I love the rhythmic change halfway through the track. Another playable cut.
3. (4:40) **Frontier – Slow/medium tempo. Classic shoegaze characteristics here. Entrancing guitar sounds.
4. (4:20) **Wake Up! – Medium tempo. I like the melody, the bassline, the tempos, and the guitar solo. Cool track.
5. (4:58) Lust – Slow/medium tempo. Atmospheric. Guitar reverb effects everywhere. Reminds me of early, early The Verve.
6. (7:22) Miss Displacement – Slow/medium tempo. Long, dramatic and with a slow-fast tempo treatment constantly overlapping the piece.
7. (8:19) **Glory – Slow/medium tempo. Notable sonic buildup driven by layers of reverb, vocal interventions and a steady supply of slow-fast drumming tension. Like crossing a long tunnel on a train after midnight.
8. (6:08) She Died – Medium/slow tempo. More classic shoegaze characteristics here. Another set of entrancing guitar sounds.
9. (6:01) Cruiser – Slow tempo. A calmer track that explodes in intensity halfway there.
10. (8:02) *The Solution – Slow/medium tempo. More spotless reverb driven guitars, inspired vocals and intense sonic tension here. Great conclusion.
Something else from the music blog post-punk.com:
Bethany Curve was at the peak of their powers in the early 2000s, releasing the reverb-drenched Flaxen in 2003 before vanishing without much of a trace. Since then, the band has taken time to recalibrate and craft their sixth release, kicking off with lead-track “Frontier,” which was released via Soundcloud in mid-November. Each track on the record is a reflective meditation on dreaming, pieced together through the band’s surrealist soundscape and Richard Millang (mastermind of the group)’s passionate lyrics.
RIYL: Slowdive, Los Kowalski, Swervedriver, Ride and Catherine Wheel.
FCC CLEAN!
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9
1. (6:35) **I’m Alive – Slow/medium tempo. Spotless reverb driven guitars, inspired vocals, intense sonic tension. Playable cut.
2. (4:15) ***Dreamland – Slow/medium tempo. Similar to previous recording. I love the rhythmic change halfway through the track. Another playable cut.
3. (4:40) **Frontier – Slow/medium tempo. Classic shoegaze characteristics here. Entrancing guitar sounds.
4. (4:20) **Wake Up! – Medium tempo. I like the melody, the bassline, the tempos, and the guitar solo. Cool track.
5. (4:58) Lust – Slow/medium tempo. Atmospheric. Guitar reverb effects everywhere. Reminds me of early, early The Verve.
6. (7:22) Miss Displacement – Slow/medium tempo. Long, dramatic and with a slow-fast tempo treatment constantly overlapping the piece.
7. (8:19) **Glory – Slow/medium tempo. Notable sonic buildup driven by layers of reverb, vocal interventions and a steady supply of slow-fast drumming tension. Like crossing a long tunnel on a train after midnight.
8. (6:08) She Died – Medium/slow tempo. More classic shoegaze characteristics here. Another set of entrancing guitar sounds.
9. (6:01) Cruiser – Slow tempo. A calmer track that explodes in intensity halfway there.
10. (8:02) *The Solution – Slow/medium tempo. More spotless reverb driven guitars, inspired vocals and intense sonic tension here. Great conclusion.
Recent airplay
Glory
Magnetized Toner (rebroadcast from Mar 12, 2019) — Apr 28, 2022
Glory
Music Casserole — Mar 30, 2019
I’M Alive
The Fuzz Deli — Mar 27, 2019
Lust
wig out at denny's — Mar 25, 2019
Glory
Music Casserole — Mar 23, 2019
Glory
Magnetized Toner — Mar 12, 2019
Charting
2019-01-28 — 2019-04-01
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Mar 31 | 3 |
| Mar 24 | 1 |
| Mar 17 | 1 |
| Mar 10 | 2 |
| Feb 24 | 2 |
| Feb 17 | 3 |
| Feb 10 | 1 |
| Feb 3 | 3 |
Track listing
| 1. | I?M Alive | ||
| 2. | Dreamland | ||
| 3. | Frontier | ||
| 4. | Wake Up! | ||
| 5. | Lust | ||
| 6. | Miss Displacement | ||
| 7. | Glory | ||
| 8. | She Died | ||
| 9. | Cruiser | ||
| 10. | The Solution |