Towards the Sun

Alexi Murdoch
Towards the Sun

2011 is proving itself to be quite the year for high quality music. We’re only one quarter of the way into the year and I have at least three albums vying for “album of the year” already. This album by Alexi Murdoch is one of those. Towards the Sun is Murdoch’s first release since 2006’s Time Without Consequence. Although it’s been five years, the albums sound like they could be twins. Murdoch’s creamy voice is unchanged and his rich, simple orchestration continues. The lyrics are thoughtful and deep. It makes you wonder why it took so long. The album can be described in one word: warm. If you have the luxury of a few more words, “beautiful,” “honest,” “intimate” come to mind. Everything about it is warm, from the vocals, to the mixing and balance, to the lyrics. For most of the album, it seems to be Murdoch’s voice and his guitar, but at no point does it sound sparse or empty. The whole of the production makes it clear that this quality of music-making comes naturally, but not easily to Murdoch, making it all the more precious. It’s like a blanket for your soul. Murdoch's music is the sort you're likely to hear in the background of some show like Grey's Anatomy, or One Tree Hill, but if you're a purist, don't let that dissuade you from investigating this artist. It's downright great music. Pure and unadulterated by commercial influence. Although just released this week, there's a sense of timelessness when you listen to it -- like you've uncovered/rediscovered some great treasure in your grandparent's attic. Some may say the album is monotonous, but it’s the good kind of monotony … like the ocean is monotonous. My only problem is it’s only seven songs long; but even that length might be just perfect, keeping the whole on the beautiful side of monotony instead of the exhausting. Whatever the length, I love Alexi’s music and I love this album.

Music to … exist … by.

For fans of: Nick Drake, The Civil Wars, Ari Hest, James Taylor

Song For You

The moon looked incredible tonight on my bike ride to small group. Something about the way the light shone on it or ... let's face it, I don't remember anything about science, but something about it made the craters and shadows look exactly the same color and shade as the evening sky, so it totally looked like the moon was transparent, or had holes, like swiss cheese. It seemed you could just see straight through it.

There are a lot of things to say about today, again. And a lot of songs for today. But I'll choose the last one I heard that made me think of this blog.

A Song for You
Alexi Murdoch


so today
I wrote a song for you
cause a day
can get so long
and I know
it's hard to make it through
when you say "there's something wrong"

so I'm trying
to put it right
cause I want
to love you with my heart
all this trying's
made me tired
and I don't know even where to start

maybe that's a start

for you know
it's a simple game
that you play
filling up your head with rain
and you know
you've been hiding from your pain
in the way
in the way that you say your name

and I see you
hiding your face in your hands
flying
so you won't land
you think no one understands
no one understands

so you hunch your shoulders
and you shake your head
and your throat is aching
but you swear no one hurts you
nothing could be said
anyway you're not here enough to care

and you're so tired
you don't sleep at night
as your heart is trying to mend
you keep it quiet
but you think you might
disappear before the end

and it's strange
how you cannot find
any strength
to even try
to find a voice
to speak your mind
when you do
all you want to do is cry

and maybe you should cry

and i see you
hiding your face in your hands
talking 'bout far away lands
you think no one understands

listen to my hands

and all of this life
moves around you
for all that you claim
you're standing still
you are moving, too
you are moving, too
you are moving, too
i will move with you