Holy Smoke- Peter Murphy

Holy Smoke

Peter Murphy

The thin pixie, slim and forlorn, the count, pale and drawn is returned unto us. The loveably pretentious Peter Murphy is back with his new release Holy Smoke. Following the phenomenal success of his last effort Deep, which spawned the hit single “Cuts You Up,” Peter Murphy took a hiatus of almost two years to write and record this, his most introspective album to date.

In Holy Smoke we encounter a mellower, more philosophical Murphy. Unlike the dark and twisted persona he cultivated in his former group Bauhaus, Murphy comes across as a deeply emotional and rather conventional singer on this album. Lyrically, Holy Smoke is very personal, even confessional. Whereas Bauhaus’ music was theatrical and detached, Holy Smoke takes us inside Peter Murphy’s heart and soul, showing us the extent of the singer’s emotions. In his past three solo albums (Should The World Fail To Fall Apart, Love Hysteria and Deep) Murphy has avoided disclosing too much of himself in his songs, but for this album he puts his guard down and lets us get to know him in a way that personal friends get to know each other.

Musically, this recording is not as diverse as any of his past three recordings. In other words, if each of these songs were heard independently you would be able to tell they belong on the same album. This is a musical direction he first explored in Deep, but even that had a couple of surprises to break up the sound of the album. Don’t get me wrong; this is by no means a boring recording. The songs are diverse enough to make them interesting, but alike enough to keep a feeling of consistency throughout the album.

Most of the songs on the disc are rather good, with only one or two mediocre tracks. Among the best tracks are: “Kill The Hate,” which has a great bass line and a good organ solo; “You’re So Close” with its catchy chorus; and the hopefully named “Hit Song.” Among the mediocre ones are “Low Room” and “Let Me Love You.” These boring songs don’t cover any new ground, nor are they interesting enough to play more than once; Although, I do have a feeling that “Low Room” may find some degree of popularity among the Goths. But these songs by no means compromise the quality of the disc.

The cover art of this release shows Peter Murphy in all of his scruffy beauty, with one eye closed and looking like he woke up on the wrong side of a hangover. It takes a lot of guts for someone so image conscious to allow him to be shown in such an unflattering light. But the cover reflects the “warts and all” emotional openness of the music within. Besides, Mr. Murphy is arrogant enough to pull it off. I love it!

Over the years, Peter Murphy has achieved such a huge, devoted following that will guarantee him success in any undertaking. To many people, Peter Murphy is more than just a singer. To many of us, he embodies and attitude- and ideal. To others, he is an over the top poseur. He’s is one of those artists that you either love or hate. If, like me, you love Mr. Murphy, then this album is essential. But, if you are not really into him, this album will do nothing to change your mind. Although, I bet you may admit begrudgingly that “Hit Song” does sound kind of sweet.

Anyway, I would like to say congratulations to all the graduates that are getting out of here in May. I was supposed to be one of you; instead I am stuck here for one more year. Congrats in particular to Joe Kern and Illyana (whose last name I can’t recall) on graduating. Good luck in the fantasy world of earning a living.

Oh, yeah! A couple of albums to check out this summer:

Ministry – Ministry (Due out in June)

The Young Gods – TV Sky (Out now)

The Jesus & Mary Chain – Honey’s Dead (Out now)

Morrissey - The Man Who Bored The World (Due out soon)

Dead Milkmen – Soul Rotation (Out now)

I’ll be around over the summer, so I may review some of these. Stay tuned to FACTORY.