Genre/Influences: Dark-Folk, Chanson.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Joshua Murphy is an Australian artist who lives in Berlin (Germany). The official debut EP “Lowlands” features four songs which have been written in Berlin.
Content: The sound universe of this artist is clearly driven by darkness. The songs are composed with guitar and piano arrangements with some melancholic violin-sounds on top. The artist’s deep, timbre of voice reminds me to Leonard Cohen.
+ + + : This work took me by surprise. First there’s the hypnotice and somewhat bewitching voice of Joshua Murphy. But next there’s the way he matches this cavernous and yet sexy voice together with dark, dreamy, Chanson compositions. Some passages make me think of ‘film-noir’. I like the melancholia hanging over the work. There’s something to say about each song but I’ve a little preference for “The Fault Was Lain There Too”.
– – – : When you’re listening to a little sonic jewel like “Lowlands” you can only but regret it’s just an EP. I hope there’ll be an album soon.
Conclusion: “Lowlands” sounds as a sweet, dark, sonic caress in a grey sky…
Best songs: “The Fault Was Lain There Too”, “A Twon With No Fear”, “The Killing Floor”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.facebook.com/JoshuaMurphyMusik
Label: www.aufnahmeundwiedergabe.de / www.facebook.com/aufnahmeundwiedergabe
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
