SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PETER MURPHY – SILVER SHADE

PETER MURPHY
SILVER SHADE
METROPOLIS RECORDS

Peter Murphy finally returns with a new studio album, his first since 2014’s Lion. He released a number of live albums since then, but when he delivers a studio album, there is much to be celebrate. After Bauhaus split in 1993, following a one-off album with Japan’s Mick Karn in 1984 (Dali’s Car’s The Waking Hour), Murphy released his first solo studio album in 1986 (the brilliant and groundbreaking Should The World Fail To Fall Apart). Silver Shade is his tenth solo outing and, cliche as it may sound, it was worth the wait.

Although he would reunite with both Bauhaus and Dalis Car, it is his solo output that is sometimes the most interesting and the most daring. He was never afraid to incorporate many different genres, styles and cultural music into his solo catalogue. Silver Shade continues the tradition of thought-provoking and incredible music from Mr. Murphy. Youth, who produced his last album, Lion, is behind the controls once again.

The album opens with a hard, fast beat, and Murphy’s distinctive voice. Peter Murphy is back. “Swoon” is somewhat a distant relative to Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”. “Hot Roy” explodes in your ears, with that buzzing guitar, heavy beat and Murphy’s voice. It is pure magic. Maybe dark magic, but magic nonetheless.

The title track, “Silver Shade”, is drama at its best. Murphy and Youth pile on the instruments and build into a glorious sound, and, as with most of the album, a very heavy beat. That is not to say the album all sounds the same, far from it. “Time Waits” is based on some fine piano playing, while “The Artroom Wonder” (featuring Tool’s Justin Chancellor on bass) has a synthesizer at its core, and a very different feel from the rest of the album. “Cochita Is Lame” harkens back to some of his older sounds, and “Xavier New Boy” is a much slower, dare I say, ballad.

Murphy has never sounded better. His voice is deep, strong and melodic. He does more with a yell than any other artist. Silver Shade is a perfect album from an elder spokesman. Many younger artists have tried to emulate Murphy, but he is, and always has been, the real deal. He sets his own rules, standards and we are all better off for it. Silver Shade is a brilliant album and a welcomed return from a friend who has been very missed.

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