Reviews of: Alex McMurray - Banjaxed
Alex McMurray
BANJAXED
Velvety Pod Musical
By Dave Kunian - Gambit Magazine
Alex McMurray's new record, BANJAXED, overflows with great songs that have a slightly offbeat perspective. In his previous work with the band Royal Fingerbowl or the current trio The Tin Men, McMurray has penned songs about some strange folks. They are the type of folks that sit at the end of the bar talking to themselves and hopefully not harassing you or people whose stories are so heartfelt that you want to comfort them and let them cry on your shoulder. Here on BANJAXED, his songs are populated by the character lamenting "Ain't it hard when you're old/ain't it hard when you're weird/ain't it hard when you're frightened/ain't it hard when you're queer/my whole life I've been waiting/ain't nothing been right yet/because the circus never comes to Joliet" or "I will race you to the bottom/I'm a lot nearer than I used to be/I don't want to look at my face in the mirror/how things got cloudy on me/or are they clearer?/I don't want to go back to the old bar again." Part of McMurray's talent in his writing is the way he portrays these characters in a sympathetic light that doesn't sugar coat any of their eccentricities. And he knows how to turn a phrase. On one of the best songs on the album, IT'S NOT THE YEARS, IT'S THE MILES, he writes "Once there was a time/when I was able/to drink ten sailors/under the table/but it soon becomes a bore/when your name is on the lips/of every sailor/that wanders/ashore."
McMurray is often compared to Tom Waits because they both write about the strange denizens of the street and the night. However, McMurray is much more down to earth than Waits, and McMurray's music is much less weird. This record shares more with the music of Jesse Malin or Leonard Cohen. Most of songs here are sparse, just guitar and minimal percussion with occasional horn, accordion, or organ. They borrow liberally and well from jazz, folk, and Tin Pan Alley. There is even a beautiful New Orleans dirge (reflecting the decade and a half that McMurray spent plying his musical trade in almost every venue in that musically soaked city) called "THE DAY AFTER MARDI GRAS DAY." Some of the songs are funny. Some are sad. All the songs musically go someplace There is a subtle vulnerability in his words and music that lets the listener identify with the characters and situations. However, in the same way that Cohen or Neil Young have recordings that seem relaxed or almost ramshackle in their attitude but hold a certain intensity and tenacity just under surface, this vibe permeates BANJAXED. McMurray may sound casual in his approach, but he means every word he says and every note he plays
- from Offbeat Magazine
(Feature Story: "I Love Alex McMurray"
by Christen Hardy,
January 2004)
McMurray says that Banjaxed, the title of his first solo album, is Irish slang
for being "frustrated or stymied via a fuckup, usually involving booze."
"Effortless Binge" is standard Alex McMurray fare, but like
most of his solo album, it is a bit more vulnerable, both lyrically and musically, than
his previous efforts. I typically shy away from songs that include
holidays/neighborhoods/themes that are exclusive to New Orleans, but McMurray's "The
Day After Mardi Gras Day" is the most accurate description of the empty feeling that
creeps in immediately following Fat Tuesday I've ever heard.
"Your pocket's a little lighter/ You're reelin' in the dawn/ You make your way down
Esplanade/ After everybody's gone"
It's the kind of description that I didn't even know I needed until I heard it.
McMurray establishes this emotional connection by making his songs intensely personal, by
using details that could not possibly apply to everyone, yet somehow do.
On the possibility of getting a new record deal as a result of shopping Banjaxed, McMurray
is diplomatic. He would like to get one, he says, but says that he won't be heartbroken if
it doesn't happen.
Banjaxed is the result of McMurray's return to New Orleans. It was started before the trip
to Tokyo, and Carlo Nuccio tracked the drums while McMurray was in Japan.
While recording Banjaxed, McMurray consciously strayed from the road he'd taken with Royal
Fingerbowl. He admits that Banjaxed is basically what a Royal Fingerbowl record would be
at this point (many of the same players, same songwriter). The pressure McMurray felt in
the last days with Royal Fingerbowl has dissipated some.
"This time I just recorded it where I live," he says. Does he mean that the
recording is stripped-down and authentic? Or does he mean that it was recorded in his
house? McMurray continues, "We recorded it in the back room of the house where I
live."
He stresses the point that his solo album is the product of making a record just for the
sake of getting the songs out there. As a result, the final product, a collection of 15
songs, will doubtlessly be called lazy by some people. McMurray admits that there are
"definitely time problems." This is to be expected from a session that focused
on the songs rather than a click track. Other than the time issue, and the occasional buzz
(on the bowed bass track), Banjaxed is a stellar example of McMurray's talent. His songs
are simple narratives of sincere characters over melodies that embody a confident
maturity.
Although McMurray says of the album, "I just went in and I sang with a
guitar…then I just walked away," it is clearly a focused endeavor. McMurray
compiled a band of locals that includes James Singleton on bass, Bob Andrews playing organ
and piano, and Glenn Hartman playing the accordion.
"I like the tunes," McMurray says, "and I think people should hear
them."
The second to last song on Banjaxed, "Barry's Fashion Lighters," is a bit of
amusing lounge music tucked into an otherwise solemn collection of songs. McMurray's
decision to include such a light number isn't surprising; McMurray does this regularly in
his live sets, as well as in conversation. He will talk openly for a few minutes about his
first trip to Europe, playing with a gospel band, and the pride he felt, getting paid to
go to Europe. "That was a huge victory," he says.