Proving once and for all that putting your music in a commercial or film soundtrack does not mean you’re selling out is the Alexi Murdoch track that stands tall atop the closing credits of Gone Baby Gone. Although that track, Through The Dark, is still unreleased there are plenty of other gems to be found. This largely unassuming artist sounds a lot like Damien Rice crossed with Josh Garrels. In fact the parallels with Garrels are almost uncanny at times. But I mean that in a totally brilliant way.
Alexi crafts songs in a way that is at once sprawling and yet filled with enough emotional minutiae to keep each track interesting on repeat listening. If you’re very careful you can even hear what appears to be Radiohead’s influence on the track called Home below. And speaking of these two tracks, one appeared on his debut EP, Four Songs (iTunes), and the other hails from his first proper full length entitled Time Without Consequence (iTunes). It’s obvious that Alexi has a gift for crafting music, but he purportedly turned down a record deal because he didn’t agree with the commercial nature of the big labels. Rumour has it that one studio exec that he met with popped his sampler into a computer and proceeded to time exactly how long it took for the song to reach the refrain. If that doesn’t kill artistic license then I don’t know what would.
mp3 : Alexi Murdoch - Home
mp3 : Alexi Murdoch - Orange Sky
Eventually Alexi found his place on his own and it’s a good thing he did. On his debut full length, which is where the track Home appears, the ingredients of his music sense seem to tease the palate with each new listen. I hear references to Kings of Convenience, Joseph Arthur, or David Gray and it all adds up to me loving every second of every song. Gone Baby Gone (iTunes) is a superb movie by the way. You should see it.
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home reminds me a lot of something that might be on zero 7’s ‘the garden.’
orange sky is a total classic though. heard it first when watching the trailer for ‘paradise now.’ kicks in at about 1:40
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Jyz15qG22Ec
yes, orange sky has been used in a variety of television shows from prison break to the o.c. as well as film previews. one could say it has become quite ubiquitous. {yet he’s still not selling out}
Don’t forget that he’s essentially channeling Nick Drake with most of his songs - he’s clearly a huge influence there.
I thought it was Garrels at first… their voices sound a lot alike.
i think i’ll post some garrells today. seeing as how basically no one knows who he is and he’s brilliant {i prefer him to murdoch}