Liv’s Prime Slices (4/6 – 4/12): Michelle Blades, The Murlocs

 

Michelle Blades – Visitor – (indie pop rock)

Michelle Blades has just released a collection of songs infused with multiple sounds of an extension of her nomadic life spent between Panama, Mexico, Florida, and France. Picking bits and pieces from each place to form Visitor, Blades fuses together a unique sound that embodies qualities of Frank Zappa in her liberty of creation and of David Byrne and Mort Garson in terms of musical experimentation. In the first song on this album, “Politik!,” she plays with language tones, wordplay and texture to create a delicious package of new vibrations for our ears. “Dr. Psych” experiments into the psych rock realm, pushing the boundary of the genres she is defying further with this release. Looking forward to hear more from Blades and can’t wait to see the different turns she takes into the sound she continues to identify with.

The Murlocs – Manic Candid Episode – (blues garage rock)

Members of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Ambrose Kenny-Smith and Cook Craig are 2/5 of The Murlocs, who have just released their long awaited fourth studio album Manic Candid Episode. Produced by Stu Mackenzie, also of King Gizzard, this collection of songs, recorded on tape, infuses the sounds of blues, R&B and rock. The first song on the album, “Problematic Subject,” commands the listener with the sharp and prominent tone of Ambrose’s harmonica, followed with a gritty guitar sound that turns into a catchy breakdown leading into the chant, “when you’re a problematic subject.” There is something very hypnotic about the harmonica in each of these tunes. I have never been so sold on the sound of one until I listened to The Murlocs, especially in their song, “Withstand” which also features a great video for all the psych rock lovers.