Last Friday, Liverpudlian Michael Robert Murphy, frontman and songwriter of The Wicked Whispers and Whiskey Headshot, released his debut solo album, Chaos Magick.
The album was produced by Liam Power (By The Sea and lifelong Bill Ryder Jones Collaborator) and Michael himself, and features some of Liverpool‘s finest musicians including Echo and The Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant and The Coral’s Ian Skelly, Paul Molloy and Ian Mac.
The record is a beautiful and spellbinding collection of psych-rock tunes. The lyrics are personal and touching, the instrumentation lush and heart-warming, and some really beautiful guitars take centre stage. It was recorded only a couple of miles away from where I currently live, so it has extra poignancy for me. I was lucky enough to attend the album launch show last Friday, and the high quality of the songs shone through in the live setting.
Michael has kindly put together a track-by-track breakdown of the album, so please turn up the volume, press <play>, and read on.
Welcome to Chaos Magick, my debut solo album, which I’m calling “a lo-fi psychadelic scouse odyssey”. This was a rabbit hole project with no idea of the outcome, a unique experience spanning 2 years in Raby, Wirral at a remote farm making some lifelong friendships with endless good and bad times, numerous books could be written about. Let’s dig in…
1. Splinter In The Mind’s Eye
This is one of, if not my fave track on the album. Such a cool opener also. The title draws from the novel that became The Empire Strikes Back (nodding to my love of Star Wars), but the song is certainly about feeling like an outsider all my life. Something, as of now, is still undiagnosed. Thinking of secondary School and College, workplaces and social circles, why I’ve always felt a bit different and messed up, something I fought hard to keep secret, but now something I love about myself.
2. Cyclone (Feat. By The Sea)
This was the first song we started recording. It’s a song about how mental health battles come at you fast and hard and leave you in bits. It’s a two-part idea (Square 2 offers the possible advice or antidote), but this song was about the first impact. I love Beck and artists who use vintage string sample effects so really wanted to introduce some modern lo-fi ideas to give it its edge. Liam Power of By The Sea plays a beautiful guitar bit on this around the riffs and the chorus’. I love my solo on this one, Chaos Magick personified.
3. Square 2
This is a summer tune that highlights the optimism and the battle to look at the beauty and the upsides of things. So a really hopeful sentiment. The idea is tongue-in-cheek. If you’re having a bad week you decide to start again back to square one but obviously this can be quite a common thing so “square 2” is making fun of the fact we always seem to need to pick ourselves up and start again at a few moments in our lives. I wanted to give the chorus a very James Bond feel again, using weaves of vintage string samples and lead guitars. But I guess it’s also a love story where you will see the sunrise on a better day with someone you care about.
4 . Like A Shadow
This is all about my son Gene. Dedicated to and inspired by. His autism journey has been a discovery and education for me, his mum, and my wife, Natasha, but also how he makes us feel. The solo is a very magical/childlike idea that I’ve tried to conjure his infectious imagination. Went for a real Beck Sea Change era with this one.
5. Lift The Curse
This is a love song. One of so many songs about my best friend, soulmate and wife Natasha. She came along during a very dark period of my life. Really homed in on dark pysch feel for this one. All written on the bass, then layered from there. One to sing out loud.
6. Prometheus Fountain
This one is for my mum. This is a song dedicated to, and and inspired by my late mum Dorothy, who was the last of my blood family when she passed a few years ago. We were incredibly close and it broke my heart. This song relates to a time when she, although not having much money, saved and took me to New York for my 18th birthday. One of our favourite films we’d always watch together when I was little was Home Alone 2, so when I think back to that time, I think of us visiting places like Rockefeller Plaza, and when I want to see her again, I always imagine meeting her at that fountain.
7. Ripening Seed
This is a song about life-changing moments that begin so small, an idea, meeting a new person or a point of view that becomes a big positive skill, experiences or feeling. Then it projects outwards in the chorus to my admiration of my wife who doesn’t see how amazing she is. It’s a weird song, maddest on the album, which is what I love about it. Ian Skelly of The Coral is on drums on this one and Alex Forde (Blaggers Records) does the telephone dialogue which centralises the “Chaos Magick” theme. My wife Natasha answers the phone also which is a great easter egg.
8. Watch The Storm
This is all about me being a control freak and a worrier and I just need to take my own advice sometimes. Sometimes you have to let go and watch the chips fall – something I find hard to do. Really plays into the core of the album’s point about riding through positive and negative energies. Ian Skelly of The Coral plays blinding drums and Liam Power of By The Sea plays amazing slide and a beautiful solo.
9. Whispers On The Wind (Feat. Will Sergeant)
This one is written and dedicated to the romance of youth, being in bands and getting in on adventures with my band The Wicked Whispers. Will Sergeant (Echo & The Bunnymen), who features on the single and shares Michael‘s love of 60‘s psyche songwriting actually booked the band to play their first ever show at one of his Liverpool club nights, going on to ask them to play every month as residents. Will added some stunning garage-like guitar sounds that really gives the track a psych feel and a notable Bunnymen touch. “I was blown away, it really transformed the song and took it somewhere else. Suddenly, I felt Will’s contribution was much more than just a nice touch. It reminded me of that McCullock/Sergeant dynamic. A pinch yourself moment basically. To top it off, The Coral’s drummer and singer/songwriter Ian Skelly came in to add drums, replacing the drum loops. Ian came into the studio and laid these amazing drums down to add another organic layer and suddenly the track sounded outrageous, with a super group behind it! I’m so grateful to the lads for believing in this track.
10. In A Dream That Holds The Key
This song is about the idea of unlocking mysteries, secrets and speaking to those who have passed on. My mum and I used to talk on this idea as we both loved that dreams were the potential plane where we move into realms where this was possible. It’s a huge tune and a big ending to the record. We threw all but the kitchen sink at the build up with strings and vocal weaving, especially the solo, Paul Molloy of The Coral plays a little but if backwards guitar here and my solo I feel, is the cherry on the cake. It could be the best song I’ve ever written and took 10 mins to write, irconically.
11. Garden Of A Thousand Spirits (Bonus Track)
This was a left over track from the session, so raw and beautiful but I didn’t feel it sat well with the others. So we have it as a bonus track on the Vinyl version with AV8 Records. The song’s about missing those lost to us inspired by a Chinese-style garden I love to visit in Calderstones Park, Liverpool
Chaos Magick from Michael Robert Murphy is out now. You can grab a copy HERE (Vinyl and CD’s available).
You can keep up to date with Michael Robert Murphy via Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Spotify
Header image credit: Bruce Baker
