Basking in the afterglow as a modern troubadour

THIS week’s column is the first of a two-part focus on the music of Kevin ‘Kerdoc’ Murphy who, although extremely proud of his Irish and in particular, Wexford upbringing, calls Berlin home.

The world’s best songwriters are those who step outside of the material and shallow confines of commercialism and tell it like it is.

They are the modern-day troubadours whose subject matter and messages are reflective of the highs and lows of real life.

In many ways they are the flag-bearers for the downtrodden while also recognising the inherent positivity of the human spirit.

In that context Kevin ‘Kerdoc’ Murphy is one of the most significant songwriters to emerge from Ireland in a generation.

His most recent album, ‘Hard, Earned, Hard Fought, Hard Won’ [which will be reviewed next week] followed on from the five-track, ‘Afterglow’ EP - the subject topic of this week’s column.

‘Black Flag Road’ kicks the EP off in emphatic fashion.

There are hints of early John Cougar Mellencamp in the sense that the song could be interpreted from a political perspective but it also highlights the importance of people sticking together and supporting each other.

Sonically, there is an earthiness to the recording that adds to the authentic vibe of the recording.

There is a wonderful stopstart rhythm to the track that is infectious.

Songwriters have long been aware of the importance of having a good rhythm, however, a lot of the time such aspects of a song occur naturally, perhaps the majority of the time.

‘Selfless man in a selfish land, if you wanna win the war you gotta hold your brother’s hand’ sings Murphy as he highlights the importance of selflessness in a world that is becoming increasingly selfish.

From a production perspective there is a nice balance to the tracking and the instruments sit nicely alongside each other.

‘I Painted Me a Penguin’ takes things in a completely different direction.

There is a baroque feel to the song that is intriguing and it has a fantastic melody that immediately grabs the attention.

If one was to categorise the song an apt description might be new wave, melancholic pop.

It’s a fantastic song and really does possess one of those melodies that is infectious.

It’s the type of song that will have the listener humming the melody long after it’s over.

There is a lovely string intro that creates an Eastern feel while the vocal pattern and the musical accompaniment create an overall brooding, atmospheric vibe.

There is a subtle but distinct change between the verse style and the chorus and it’s very interesting.

The chorus has a slight Beatles feel while the overall track is set to a mid-tempo beat.

Lyrically, it’s about escapism and fighting back against the negativity of stereotyping and how people can find their own path in life.

‘Lies’ has a distinct Tom Petty feel and invokes an image of the classic ‘Breakdown’ from the ‘Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ album.

There is a fantastic, moody, crawling swagger to the rhythm that immediately makes the listener sit up and take notice.

There is a nice descending bass line at the end of the chorus vocal line that adds to the feel of the song.

The bass pattern throughout the song is excellent and there is a lovely loose feel to the electric guitar patterns.

‘Kitty’s Song’ is one of my favourite songs on the EP.

There are female harmony vocals on this track that sit perfectly with Murphy’s main vocal lines.

Sitting firmly within the Americana, acoustic folk genre this is a track that would sit comfortably on the soundtrack of any modern-day blockbuster or mainstream TV series.

One of the strongest aspects of Murphy’s songwriting talent is his ear for melody.

If there was any justice in the music industry this track would be at the top of radio playlists all over the world; it really is an exceptionally brilliant song both in terms of its execution and its inherent quality.

The final track on the EP is ‘Lights With Bells On’ and it offers up yet another slight departure to what has gone before.

It begins with an acoustic rhythm guitar and some very subtle percussion.

Gradually, each instrument is introduced culminating in the first chorus where the bulk of the accompaniment is revealed.

However, there fantastic, walking bass line lies just around the corner and when it kicks in the commercial appeal of the track is complete.

The song also boasts an extremely catchy melody and again serves to highlight Murphy’s talent for writing quality melodies.

‘Afterglow’ is an EP worthy of being in any passionate music fan’s collection.