FEATURE:
Modern Heroines
Part Seventeen: Róisín Murphy
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THERE is a fair bit of ground to cover…
and I will be bringing in quite a few interviews and reviews to illustrate and illuminate the extraordinary, fiery and wonderfully-talented Róisín Murphy. When it comes to Murphy, there is an embarrassment of riches! I am not going to cover her work with Moloko because, in this feature, I am investigating Murphy as a solo artist. I love Moloko and bought their albums; they were a wonderful act, but I thought it was best to separate Murphy from her former life – even though I adore Moloko and everything they put out. Murphy is one of these people who speaks the truth and does not beat around the bush! She is full of charm, cheekiness and humour and, when it comes to the Arklow-born songwriter, she is hugely inspiring and refreshing. Not only do we get a unique and eye-catching wardrobe when you see Murphy perform live, her songs are among the most interesting and original around. I will end this feature by talking about her single releases through 2018 and 2019 and, as we are in a new year, there is going to be huge demand for a new album. To me, a new Róisín Murphy album is just what the world needs right now – it is top of my list when it comes to albums that will make 2020 pop! Before I get to all of that, it is worth talking about a new development in the Murphy camp.
PHOTO CREDIT: Fraser Taylor
I was listening to Murphy on BBC Radio 6 Music yesterday (21st January), as she has been announced as one of the acts for the 6 Music Festival in Camden. Lauren Laverne and Mary Anne Hobbs co-hosted a show and announced all the names – Murphy was in the studio to give her reaction. Here is some more information about the festival:
“The event will host stages at some of Camden's most popular venues, including Roundhouse (main space and Sackler space), FEST Camden, Dingwalls and Electric Ballroom, between March 6 and 8. Details were revealed on air by Lauren Laverne this morning.
The festival will be split into By Night and By Day offerings. The opening night will feature Black Midi, Brittany Howard, Michael Kiwanuka, Black Country, New Road, Sports Team, Norman Jay MBE, DJ Yoda, Nemone, Kelly Lee Owens, Greentea Peng, GAIKA, Mary Anne Hobbs DJ set, and Mike Skinner DJ set.
Saturday night, meanwhile, has confirmed performances by the Orielles, the Big Moon, the Selecter, Kojey Radical, EOB (Ed O’Brien), Róisín Murphy, Planningtorock, Tom Ravenscroft, Jamz Supernova and ELKKA.
Sunday night will feature an International Women’s Day celebration at the Roundhouse main space with Nadine Shah, Jehnny Beth, Anna Meredith, Kim Gordon and Kate Tempest, as well as sets from Warmduscher, Squid, Bombay Bicycle Club, Melt Yourself Down, and KOKOROKO elsewhere.
The By Day portion of the festival will take place at Dingwalls and Fest on March 7 and 8 between 12pm – 6pm. Jordan Rakei, Sudan Archives, Robert Glasper have been confirmed for the Saturday, and the Staves, Ghostpoet, and Hot 8 Brass Band for the Sunday, with more acts still be announced”.
What makes Róisín Murphy a leader of today? I think she is someone we will consider an idol in years to come, simply because she is consistently brilliant and does things her own way. In a music scene that is producing little joy and foot-stomping classics, Murphy has a knack of smashing out these wonderfully bright and energetic tunes; the sort that can fill dancefloors around the world! I discovered Murphy when she was part of Moloko, and I was pleased that she released solo material after Moloko called time. Ruby Blue arrived in 2005, and it was recorded alongside producer Matthew Herbert. Rather than leap straight from Moloko to solo territory, Murphy released the album’s songs through three E.P.s and then brought them into her first studio album. Maybe Moloko’s best moments occurred between, say, 1998 and 2000, but there was still plenty of inspiration in Murphy’s heart that translated brilliantly to her debut solo outing. As one would expect from a stunning songwriter, the Ruby Blue album contains sounds made by everyday objects – including cosmetics, ornaments and brass mice! Mixing together the Electronic sound of Moloko with new shades of Pop and Jazz, Ruby Blue is not shy of brilliant moments. Songs like Night of the Dancing Flame and Sow into You are among some of Murphy’s best compositions, and the album barely has a weak moment. Rather than Ruby Blue being similar to anything Moloko recorded, this album was about Murphy’s voice and using objects that were around her. I think Ruby Blue is more cohesive and nuanced than any Moloko record, and it is great to hear Murphy step out alone – again, no disrespect to the brilliance of her work with Mark Brydon in Moloko!
Some critics were a little unsure of what to make of the newly-solo Murphy and how her first solo outing would compare with Moloko’s Statues of 2003. Ruby Blue is its own beast; a strong artist not abandoning her previous sound, but embracing new elements and direction, incorporating them together and coming up with something sensational. In their review, AllMusic had this to offer:
“As brilliant as Moloko could be -- on both their most eccentric and most conventionally pop moments -- their albums never quite jelled into something as uniformly great as Roisin Murphy's solo debut, Ruby Blue. By teaming up with producer Matthew Herbert, who remixed Moloko's "Sing It Back" back in the I Am Not a Doctor days, Murphy keeps the alluring sensuality and unpredictable quirks that made Moloko unique, without sounding like she's rehashing where she's already been. Both Murphy and Herbert are artists who are equally at home with the wildest and most accessible sounds (and especially when they bring those extremes together), so their reunion on Ruby Blue feels very natural, and gives the album a smoother, more organic sound than might be expected from a debut. Herbert's concept was to build the album around Murphy -- not just her gorgeous voice, but her life as well, and Ruby Blue reflects this with his skillful, witty use of environmental sounds throughout the album. Coughing, rustling, and other studio noise become a rhythm that in turn unfolds the gorgeously summery keyboards of "Through Time," while the more literal-minded "Dear Diary" surrounds Murphy with everyday noises like ringing telephones, buzzing doorbells, and what sounds like a ball bouncing on pavement.
As quirky as the album might be -- and it doesn't get much quirkier than the spring-loaded, tribal rhythms of "Rama Lama" -- Ruby Blue never feels off-putting, because its flights of fancy are in service of the songs instead of distracting from them. The mix of '20s-style hot jazz and cool synths on the surreally sexy "Night of the Dancing Flame," the title track's elegant mischief, and "Sow Into You"'s crisp layers of vocals and brass are all mini-masterpieces of avant electronic pop. Indeed, the first two-thirds of Ruby Blue are almost too smooth, too perfectly realized to be the work of someone involved with a group as eccentric as Moloko was, so more experimental, unruly tracks like "Off on It" and "Prelude to Love in the Making" almost come as a relief (and act as a palate cleanser before Ruby Blue's striking piano ballad finale, "Closing of Doors"). As Murphy herself sings on "Through Time," "Could there be such a thing as beautifully flawed?" Ruby Blue flirts with perfection and settles for being the perfect start to the next phase of Roisin Murphy's career instead”.
There are artists who come from duos/bands and record a solo album. They struggle to adapt or succeed in their new environment, and it can take a while for them to stand alone and win critics over. In Murphy’s case, she proved herself fully able to flourish as a solo artist. Ruby Blue gained some great critical praise, and that must have given her motivation and confidence to keep recording and push herself.
Indeed, 2007’s Overpowered sort of occurred at a time when she was balancing new material with retrospection. In 2006, whilst she was promoting Moloko’s greatest hits album, Catalogue, it was announced that Murphy was working on fresh solo material. Murphy signed to EMI in 2006, and she wanted to make her music bigger and brighter than it was when recording for Echo Records – a larger budget meant she could bring in more Disco and big Pop into an album that was, perhaps, truer to herself. Recording with different producers and writers in Miami, London and Barcelona, Overpowered is a big step up from her experiences in Moloko and her first solo album. Ruby Blue was Murphy and Matthew Herbert in this tight team, whereas Overpowered sees Murphy working with various writers and producers. I think it was important for Murphy to have things fairly small-scale and personal on her first solo album, so soon after Moloko ended. If she had raced in with loads of writers and producers, I think her first solo album would not have been as successful as Ruby Blue. She had this new impetus and acclaim; maybe she was more trusting of people and wanted to see what others could bring to her music. The gamble (if that is the correct word?) paid off: Overpowered was better-reviewed than Ruby Blue, and I think the songs are stronger. One only need look at the cover of Overpowered – take a look to see what I mean! – to realise this was going to be a strange, beautiful and uniquely Róisín Murphy experience!
The opening (genius) one-two of Overpowered and You Know Me Better is perfect – both songs were released as singles and Murphy ensured this new album got off to the strongest possible start! I love the fact that Murphy sounds completely her own boss, despite the fact there a few names in the pot. I am not sure what other albums were out in 2007, but none could have contained the same colours and components as Overpowered. Reviews were positive, with people keen to praise an artist growing ever stronger. I will bring in another AllMusic review, as they hold a lot of love for Muprhy and can articulate her brilliance like no one else:
“Arty, cerebral, and sometimes downright kooky, Róisín Murphy zigs where other British pop singers zag. She's been one of pop's best-kept secrets since Moloko disbanded, edging her way toward a sound that isn't exactly mainstream but will give her the more widespread acclaim she deserves. For her first solo album, Ruby Blue, she collaborated with producer Matthew Herbert, who streamlined her sound into something creative but not gratingly quirky; even though "Rama Lama" ended up on So You Think You Can Dance, of all places, Ruby Blue wasn't quite a smash success. This time, Murphy teamed with Bugz in the Attic's Seiji, Groove Armada's Andy Cato, All Seeing I's Parrott & Dean, and Jimmy Douglass -- all forward-thinking producers, but with more conventionally pop sounds than Herbert's approach. Of course, by the late 2000s, even the most mainstream singles had at least a few unique production flourishes, so while Overpowered is without a doubt Murphy's most straightforward music yet, she hasn't sacrificed much to make it that way.
With its sleek beats, bubbling synths, and nagging chorus, "Overpowered" closely resembles a state-of-the-art pop single, but the way Murphy sings of science and oxytocin over a heart-fluttering harp is unmistakably her. The rest of Overpowered follows suit, giving familiar sounds clever twists that will please longtime Murphy fans and win new ones. The effortless "You Know Me Better," "Let Me Know," and "Checkin' on Me" are chilly yet soulful, touching on disco, house, and '80s pop; "Movie Star" is Murphy's spin on Goldfrapp's glossy glam pop (and the only time she seems in danger of being overpowered by someone else's sound on the album). Even though these songs are immaculately crafted, there's plenty of life -- and Murphy's personality -- in them. "Primitive"'s synths and strings flit around like mosquitoes in a swamp as she wails "I need to let you out of your cage," while "Dear Miami"'s deadpan delivery and spare beats make it possibly the frostiest song ever written about global warming. Overpowered often feels less intimate than Ruby Blue, but that's a minor quibble, especially when "Scarlet Ribbons" shows off Murphy's tender side and the outstandingly crisp, bouncy, and sassy "Footprints" and "Body Language" rank with her best songs. Aptly enough for such a pop-focused album, nearly every song on Overpowered sounds like a potential smash hit. Even if this album is a bid for the big time, it's done with such flair that it just underscores what a confident and unique artist Murphy really is”.
If you have not checked out Overpowered, have a listen – alongside her other solo albums – as it is packed with sensational moments and easy highlights. By 2007 (quite rightly!), some were viewing Murphy as a national treasure! She is definitely that, and I might be a bit short-sighted when I say she is an idol of the future: she may well be one now! Her sheer consistency and ability to exceed expectation is what makes hearts skip. She is a truly magnificent talent, and one who stands aside from her peers. I wanted to bring in The Guardian’s take on Overpowered before I move on:
“But Roisin was always far closer in spirit to Bjork than Kylie. After a personal and professional split with Brydon, she chose to work with visionary art-jazz producer Matthew Herbert for her first solo album, 2005's Ruby Blue, on the kind of ambitious avant-pop hybrid that gets Bjork rapturous acclaim, but only got Murphy... well, a deal with EMI, at least, who thankfully recognised a genuine maverick when they heard one.
Inspired by the Eighties proto-house of D Train, Mantronix and Gwen Guthrie, but often sounding a dead-ringer for Yazoo, early Eurythmics and rave-era dance-popsters Electribe 101, Overpowered's bubbling, sensual, and soulful glitterball gems effortlessly tap into the perennial glory of feeling lost and lonely at the disco at the end of the world. If it feels like Murphy is singing about, and to, Mark Brydon on the likes of 'You Know Me Better' and 'Movie Star', then the deep beats, lush synths and subtle horns and strings provided by male producers/co-writers including Jimmy Douglass, Groove Armada's Andy Cato and Richard X work overtime to establish Murphy as sole captain of her own swish and swoony destiny.
PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Woods
As closing ballad 'Scarlet Ribbons' wends its gently reggae-fied way to the sweetest of endings, you realise that you've just been dreamily immersed in the best grown-up dance-pop album since Madonna's Ray of Light. Yep - that good. I hope Ireland doesn't get too offended if Britain comes to its senses and recognises Roisin Murphy as a National Treasure”.
Róisín Murphy has provided more interviews over the past couple of years than she did at the start of her solo career. In fact, I was looking for interviews around the time of Ruby Blue and Overpowered, and there wasn’t a lot to select from. The reason for this (looking for interviews) is to add texture and background to the albums; to get a sense of how Murphy was feeling and what she had coming up. I did find an interview from The Guardian from 2008, where Murphy answered a few questions – maybe providing some revelations many people were not aware of:
“What advice would you give a young singer?
If you really want to do it, you can - especially today. Records are cheaper to make; you can even put out your own.
What work of art would you most like to own?
When I was 16 and on a tour of Europe, I fell in love with Le Corbusier's Notre Dame du Haut chapel in Ronchamp, France. I'd quite like to live in it.
Complete this sentence. At heart I'm just a frustrated ...
Sexual maniac. I'm brave and fearless when I'm performing, but in real life I'm actually quite prudish.
What cultural tip would you give to a tourist about Britain's arts scene?
It's not as good as you think. In eastern Europe, you can feel the politics in the air. People ask me why London is so cool and I say it's not - look at Warsaw.
What's the biggest myth about being a pop star?
I wouldn't know, because I'm not one.
What's the greatest threat to music today?
There isn't one. Music will go on regardless. What people are actually concerned about is the threat to music revenues. But I'm sure they'll figure out how to make more money; they always have in the past”.
Whilst there was only a two-year wait between Murphy’s first and second solo albums, there was eight years before Hairless Toys arrived in 2015. She did release the Mi Senti E.P. in 2014, but I think Murphy needed to recharge after a busy few years. Rather than rush out with another album that was similar to Overpowered, Hairless Toys was more refined. This time around, the music is barer and the compositions, perhaps, not quite as packed as previously – although Murphy said she wanted to take Pop in new directions (with Hairless Toys) and put together live instrumentation and multi-layered sounds. In many ways, Hairless Toys is like nothing Murphy ever produced. It is a reinvention and, again, another step up from her – an artist who seems to get better with every album! There are delicious grooves and snatches of Italian House and Disco that captivate and stun. Consider the panache of Exploitation put next to the more subdued Exile – Murphy going all over the place and sounding exceptional in every guise. Although my favourite Murphy solo album is her most-recent effort, Take Her Up to Monto, Hairless Toys is a joy to behold! Reviews were typically positive and, like me, many people considered Hairless Toys a triumphant work. This is Drowned in Sound’s take:
“And that darkness is also really highlighted on ‘Exploitation’. A nine-minute-journey through what it feels like to cede control and give power to another. You can apply that to both a relationship or whatever you might do for your career. A sparse but effective beat whispers behind the track and gives the impression that the song is being delivered from a happy place. To achieve all of that within one (admittedly lengthy) track is a tribute to how well Murphy has honed her craft.
If there’s a criticism to be made of the album, and there aren’t many as long as you give it your love and attention, it’s that there isn’t enough deviation from her previous records Ruby Blue and Overpowered. At this stage of her career, with her art so finely honed and creative, does she need to deviate significantly? There’s also a temptation to write that there aren’t enough key moments on the record but this is meant to be understated and subtle. That’s something that has intentionally been done. And no doubt, the longer you spend with an album like this, the clearer those moments become.
And there are times where she strays from her own path on the album. While the vibe and tempo of the record remain mostly consistent, the country-jazz of ‘Exile’ and there is a dip in tempo for both closing tracks in ‘Hairless Toys’ and ‘Unputdownable’. It’s subtle but when you really envelop yourself within the record it’s something that you’re going to pick up on.
So eight years is a long time to wait for a record but Hairless Toys shows Murphy remains expertly consistent in her craft. She has created an album here that is not for the social pre-drinkers but for the listener that wants to absorb alone. A bottle of red wine and a full listen of the album is when you’re really going to uncover the caveats and subtleties of the record. Anything else and you’re just wasting a wonderfully dark and seething record”.
There is a lot to explore in Hairless Toys. The songs hit you when you first hear them, but you keep coming back and detect new details and stuff that evaded the senses before. Indeed, it is an album that I listen to now, and I am still amazed by its quality and ability to surprise. It seems like the gap between Overpowered and Hairless Toys was a wise one! I will move on soon but, just now, I wanted to bring in another review for Hairless Toys. This is what The Guardian wrote:
“Where there’s disco, there’s an intoxicating darkness. Róisín Murphy’s first album in eight years embraces that dichotomy on intimate late-night tales, both personal and in an imagined voice of the 1980s LGBT community of New York’s ball scene. A regal glamour illuminated previous albums Ruby Blue and Overpowered , but the former Moloko star’s third is her most exquisitely produced yet: inside is a hedonistic haven. It’s an album that distracts from the tyranny of the norm – the rent-paying rigmarole and relentlessness of everyday life – with Murphy cooing as if lounging in a giant champagne glass. Never is it gaudy, however. From the glasslike Gone Fishing to its Italo-disco and house mutations and unusual country diversions, it draws from the past but adds a crisp, modern polish; and unlike other revivalists, there’s a depth to Murphy’s vocals, as if she has experienced the freaks and fantasy of Studio 54 firsthand. Hairless Toys is pure, evocative elegance, her performance as flamboyant and fragile as the subculture she celebrates”.
One of the things that seems obvious with Murphy’s music is how she is making it for herself! Rather than create music for others – and to please them -, she is writing songs that feel good to her. I think this comes through in her music and, when you listen to the singles she has put out over the past couple of years, one senses this in spades. I am keen to explore Murphy’s Take Her Up to Monto shortly, but I did find an interview from 2015, where Murphy discussed her music and we learn more about her path prior to Moloko forming:
“Being 'normal' in Murphy's case means the birth of her two children. Her life up until that point however had been pretty extraordinary by anyone's standards. Born in County Wicklow in Ireland, her family moved to Manchester when she was 12, only to return to Ireland four years later, leaving Murphy behind to fend for herself at her own insistence. It was at a party in Sheffield a few years later that she introduced herself to soon-to-be boyfriend and musical collaborator Mark Brydon with the chat-up line, “Do you like my tight sweater?” A year later, it would become the name of their first album as Moloko.
It was their third album, Things to Make and Do, in 2000 that catapulted the band into the public consciousness thanks to their break out hits 'Sing It Back' and 'The Time is Now'. One more album followed, Statues in 2003, after which Murphy and Brydon ended their musical and romantic relationship. It paved the way for a solo career that has gone from strength to strength, starting with the Matthew Hubert produced Ruby Blue in 2005 and the aforementioned Overpowered in 2007.
Murphy has arguably taken more creative control on Hairless Toys than any of her previous projects, most notably directing her first music video for 'Exploitation'. She attributes this to the confidence she has gained over the years. “Milestones you pass on your career, every time they give you that extra little confidence. Creative confidence. I would still say today I still suffer from not being confident in knowing that I will definitely have a place in the world or that I will be appreciated. I'm much more confident about that than I ever was but its still a thing that drives me.” Nearly 20 years since Moloko's debut, did she ever imagine she would come this far?
“No. Well I did, that's a lie. Certainly once I started to do good shows [I did]. For a long time it was awkward if I'm fair and honest about it. We were a studio act so to try and transcend that and transpose it into a live show was very difficult in the beginning. But once that stopped being awkward, which I suppose was maybe the third album or something, then if anything I expected to be more famous! And more loved! And more revered than I was than anything else (laughs). Before that it was an absolute blag”.
There was to be no big pause between Hairless Toys and Take Her Up to Monto. In fact, Take Her Up to Monto was recorded during the sessions for Hairless Toys. Before the album came out, Mastermind and Ten Miles High were released as single – the latter’s video was directed by Murphy. Every album from Murphy has a new skin and direction. Take Her Up to Monto is about the London in which she lives; it’s about the future and the present. If that all sounds a bit glum and tense, Take Her Up to Monto is designed to make you feel glad to be alive – which I think is the major selling-point of all of her music! I actually reviewed the album when it came out and I awarded it four stars. Murphy herself actually tweeted, sort of wondering why it was not a five-star review – as my words suggested it should be! I was asked by the editor of the website I was writing for to only give five-star reviews to the really, really great albums – giving too many five-star reviews was not a great look. To be fair, I would give the album five stars today, as it is a fantastic album! Although the ace Take Her Up to Monto only has nine tracks, we see longer songs like Mastermind and Nervous Sleep sit alongside shorter cuts such as Whatever. I think Murphy’s great strength is allowing a track to unfurl and grow, rather than being confined to three and four-minute songs – her latest singles definitely prove that point!
Maybe the critical reception was not quite as hot for Take Her Up to Monto as it was for Hairless Toys, but there was still a lot of praise and love. It was clear that Róisín Murphy was no longer dealing with rigid song structures and conventional tones. This was a welcome thing in a musical landscape that, even in 2016, was lacking in real spark and originality. Take Her Up to Monto is an amazing album that CLASH were keen to have an opinion on:
“Structurally, these tracks have given the verse-chorus-verse format a P45. They inhabit an electronic, melodic world that’s as loose, creative and nuanced as their lyrics. Speaking to Clash, Róisín played this down somewhat: “It might be that I just don’t know what I’m doing,” she said (lies, obviously) before confiding that “from the beginning it’s been my collaborators that have had the most input/influence as I react very intensely and even intimately with the music. I go where it takes me.”
In ‘Take Her Up To Monto’, Róisín’s collaboration with Eddie Stevens has taken her into moments that recall the filmic soundscapes of classic-era Trevor Horn, the spontaneous flow of Arthur Russell, or even recent Scott Walker. If 2015’s Mercury prize-nominated ‘Hairless Toys’ was made out of cut glass, ‘Take Her Up…’ is a more sensual affair. It carries itself like curious piece of colourful matter, hovering and changing shape, at times shimmering, or just shifting colour. But the thing is, first you need to commit to buying the ticket”.
It was good to see Murphy back in the swing of recording and releasing albums, following the gap between Overpowered and Hairless Toys. I am not sure why Take Her Up to Monto strikes me as hard as it does, but I remember being transported into the album when I was reviewing, and I returned to the album time and time again. I have always loved Murphy’s voice, but I think it incorporates new emotions and nuances on Take Her Up to Monto. I wanted to source another review from AllMusic and their impressions of Róisín Murphy’s fourth solo album:
“Róisín Murphy kept fans waiting nearly a decade for new music when Hairless Toys arrived in 2015, which made the release of Take Her Up to Monto just over a year later all the more surprising. While many artists might coast for a while after releasing a comeback album, this is the kind of unexpected move that's quintessentially Murphy. Recorded during the same five-week sessions that resulted in Hairless Toys, Take Her Up to Monto often feels like that album's counterpart. "Mastermind," a disco epic that feels as vast as a galaxy, evokes Toys' massive, shape-shifting songs (as well as Murphy's 2012 marathon single "Simulation") in its sheer scope. And while "Whatever" may be the shortest song here, it shares the intimacy that made her previous album so striking. But where Hairless Toys was a seamless journey, this is a wilder ride.
Murphy takes her listeners in different directions with little warning; "Thoughts Wasted," which morphs from sleek to lush to lamenting, feels like a microcosm of the album. Fortunately, Take Her Up to Monto is always engaging, even as she takes her signature sounds to extremes. The teasing, flamboyant sensuality of "Pretty Gardens" and whimsical electro-bossa nova of "Lip Service" hark back to her playful Moloko and Ruby Blue days, though her more understated vocals strike a different balance with the theatrical music than they did back in the day. She contrasts Monto's brassier moments with the much quieter but just as expressive "Nervous Sleep," a dreamy yet unsettled track that captures middle-of-the-night anxiety perfectly, and "Sitting and Counting," a meditation on love so whispery, it sounds like Murphy is singing it to herself. Even on more dynamic songs like "Ten Miles High," Take Her Up to Monto continues the more personal feel of her post-Mi Senti music (the album title even references the Dubliners hit that her father used to sing to her). As pop has become more eclectic, so has Murphy; even if it takes a little more effort to follow her on Monto, the results are worth it”.
It has been a few years since her last album, but Murphy has been busy over the past couple of years. I wonder whether she will bring an album out this year, as many people would love to see that! I think she is actually in the form of her life right now, so I would be fascinated seeing what she comes up with next! I am going to bring us up to the present day in a second, but I wanted to source from an interview Murphy conducted with London in Stereo from last year:
“This time last year, Roisin was in the midst of releasing her collection of floor-filling funk and house tracks with Baltimore music polymath Maurice Fulton, having just directed and released the gorgeous video for ‘All My Dreams’. Naturally, we had to start by asking how she felt knowing the project had been completed and was now out in the world. “That was actually a relief. I thought that was going to be easier than it turned out to be,” She laughs, admitting, “I just had to slow the whole thing down a little because it was taking a toll to be honest.”
This artistic freedom and sheer drive that Roisin exudes is something that’s helped her stay on top form throughout the years. “I don’t think there’s a secret to longevity, but I think my secret is just the people I work with, the fact that I can just change everything on every project by changing who I collaborate with.” She says, “The music is always the beginning of everything, while I’m a very visual artist and I make the videos and concept the art, deep, deep, deep, the music remains the very centre of it all. It’s the seed of everything”.
It has been an exciting last year for Murphy, and it has been interesting hearing her singles. Rather than produce shorter songs that can slot onto an album, tracks like Incapable have been longer and developed. It does make me think that, if there is an album, we might see maybe eight or nine longer songs that, say, twelve or thirteen shorter ones. 2020 is wide open, and I am sure Murphy has ideas and plans afoot. She spoke with Another Mag last year when promoting Incapable:
“NL: Is there any kind of artistic tension between making new music, which you obviously love, and working on legacy stuff like album reissues?
RM: It’s all just a massive positive to be honest. I’m in probably the most creative time of my life – I’m creative-directing everything I do, I’m directing videos for other people, I’m pumping out new music and working with all sorts of exciting people who want to work with me. And then in between, I can re-release these records that I’m really proud of. The next thing’s going to be re-releasing all the Moloko albums on vinyl, one by one. So there’s no kind of difficult tension there. I mean, I would say that the idea of doing a Moloko reunion tour or anything like that is totally off the table. Because I just don’t need to do that, and I don’t want to become some kind of heritage act all of a sudden. I feel like, even though I’m a woman of a certain age, my work’s relevant and has traction in the modern world. So what more can I ask for, really?
NL: When I interviewed you last summer, you said that in terms of running your career, you’d “really had a wobble”. It’s obvious now that you’re fully energised again – how have you turned things around?
RM: The right people weren’t around me before; it’s really as simple as that. Now a very close friend of mine has come in to manage me, so I feel like the very first point of contact is someone who cares about me. That’s made me feel a lot more sane. And I’m starting to gather other people around me who appreciate what I do and want to help me. And that just makes life so much.
NL: What do you want people to think when they hear the name Róisín Murphy?
RM: Well, sometimes someone at school will have said to my children: “Your mum sang that song Sing It Back.” So they’ll come back home and say, “Mum, are you famous?” And I’ll look them straight in the eye and say: “I swear I’m not famous – you know I’m not famous, because when we’re walking down the road, no one comes up to me screaming and shouting. But I am very well thought of.” And to be able to say that to my children, as the God’s honest truth, that’s really a pleasure for me”.
Slightly newer tracks like Jacuzzi Rollercoaster and Narcissus point at a tantalising future: these great Disco sounds that mix the glory of the 1970s but, as you’d expect from Róisín Murphy, her D.N.A. is all over it! You can check out her official website and get all her social media links. She is an artist worth following, and someone who is among the best artists in the world right now. There are a few dates confirmed for this year, and I am sure there will be more when festivals announce their line-ups. The world of Róisín Murphy is a wonderful place, and one that keeps changing and evolving. I have been mesmerised by her singles over the past couple of years, and it is stunning how she continues to push on and move in new directions. I will try and catch her at the 6 Music Festival in Camden, because I have never seen her live – an experience that, once encountered, is never forgotten. When she played at the Boiler Shop last year, Adam Kennedy provided plenty of praise in his review:
“This evening’s setlist is packed full of back to back bangers. From the top of the show, there is just no slowing Roisin Murphy down as she belts through the likes of “Innocence”, “Plaything” and “Forever More”. Each song brought to life by Murphy and her uber talented and somewhat versatile ensemble, who each, in turn, grapple with a whole raft of instruments throughout.
One thing that sets Róisín Murphy apart from the rest is her theatrical onstage antics and passion for fashion that would even give Lady Gaga a run for her money. Throughout Róisín Murphy’s live performance she brings to life and plays out on stage each of the incredible songs that she has created. This evening’s show is as captivating visually as it is musically.
A huge screen at the rear of the stage is filled with projections that accompany the electronic sounds produced by the band throughout. Furthermore, with almost every song in the set, Murphy undertakes a costume change or draws from her arsenal of accessories including a multitude of hats and sunglasses which are housed centre stage which further adds to the spectacle of the show.
The crowd never knows what is about to come next and subsequently, they can’t take their eyes off Róisín for one minute. Murphy’s relentless energy, limitless creativity and engaging persona spur on the crowd throughout. Tonight the musical and somewhat theatrical fashionista proves that her talent and creativity knows no bounds”.
We are all primed to see where Róisín Murphy heads and what scintillating tracks are coming over 2019. Her music provokes so many interesting and memorable images, one is helpless but to resist her power and abilities. I have been revisiting Jacuzzi Rollercoaster a bit recently and, whilst, on paper, it does not sound like a particularly comfortable or inviting place, it is actually…
JUST the sort of place you’d want to be!