“There are as many forms of love as there are moments in time.” – Jane Austen
In Murder By Death’s new album Big Dark Love, a crew of these varied loves have been set adrift at sea, and have survived storms. Each track has its story, and each story has its own form, its own twist.
Take for example parental love – that most nurturing and healthy of loves. In “Natural Pearl”, Adam Turla’s voice has the rustic maturity of a much-loved family patriarch. There is a Lost Brothers vibe to the song, with its guitars and homely harmonies. What starts as gentle pointers – “don’t stay out too late with strangers” – gently shape-shifts into a list of controls with lines like, “Please don’t leave our little world”. Love is all about walking a thin line. It’s about choice, about making our own choices.
What happens when you witness your loved one doing something terrible? In the track “Dream in Red”, a body is being dragged to the river. The narrative shifts between the three protagonists – victim, perpetrator, and observer. Multi-instrumentalist David Fountain’s piano rings an ongoing alarm throughout as the darkness unfolds. “If I asked you, would you tell me no?” Turla’s voice is questioning. You can sense the witnesses’ need to be told that it isn’t how it looks. The cello of Sarah Balliet scrapes a path deeper into the woods. Scratchy electronics muster horror. “I dream in red”, the last line tells us. But which of these protagonists is dreaming, and is it a dream at all?
How far would you go to stop the suffering of someone you love? “Send Me Home” paints the gut-wrenching picture of a terminally ill man asking a loved one to help him die – “Get me out of this wretched shell. Crack me open, wish me well.” Balliet’s cello is a dark underline beneath the words. Like Jason Isbell’s “Elephant”, I won’t be playing this often. I don’t have the heart. But that’s not the point. The point is how far we’d go for the people we love.
The album continues, poking at love with a stick, until now and again it bites back. “The Last Thing” sounds so much more upbeat than the message – “I just don’t want to be another chore, not a wounded bird to care for”. Sensing that your loved one feels more obliged than happy to be with you, is horrible. But the song isn’t. You could bop happily to the buoyant drums, banjo, and violin, once they all kick in. There is a good country beat, but it’s anthemic. There are opportunities for “that’s the last thing” shout-outs, with your arms round your mate’s shoulders, when you see this song live. Because mates never leave you feeling like you’re a chore, do they?
Title track “Big Dark Love” has a question mark over whether you should let this person in at all. It gets dramatic; the drums reflect the singer pounding on the door as he shouts, “let me in”. It’s probably better if you don’t.
This album hides inside itself. It took two listens before I realised I liked it. Then, on second listen, it caught me by the arm and I started pressing the repeat button. It’s not always easy. Or obvious. But it’s worth it.
Big Dark Love is released on Bloodshot Records. It was produced by Murder By Death and Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket), mixed by John Congleton and recorded at La La Land.
