Róisín Murphy
Crooked Machine
Skint/BMG
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As any music lover will attest, there is nothing greater than the sensation of that first listen to a highly anticipated release. Less than a year after Róisín Murphy released her deliciously and much anticipated Róisín Machine, the singer has yet again joined forces with longtime collaborator Richard Barratt (a.k.a. DJ Parrot, Crooked Man) for an exquisite foray into a no-holds-barred reimagining of her acclaimed fifth studio affair.
Available now in digital form and set for a June 12th Record Store Day vinyl release, Crooked Machine continues Murphy’s vision where Róisín Machine—Albumism’s #1 album of 2020—left off. Far from a “remix album,” this is a reimagining and reworking of the “machine” in all of its unadulterated glory. Barratt has been given free rein to stay true to Murphy’s house and disco roots, whilst revisiting the early ‘90s with a dash of techno. It’s almost like being stuck in some incredibly colorful musical vortex with one foot firmly planted in classic house and the other in the future of dance music.
Even the project’s vocal-free tracks still allow for Murphy’s presence to be felt in bucket loads. With the album’s opener “Kingdom of Machines,” the connection between Barratt and Murphy, although not visible, is instantly felt. Channeling a Grace Jones type of vibe with its smoothness and alluring beats, the track gives way to the idea that Murphy’s ability to conquer anything seems infinite.
Róisín Machine was the fruitful outcome of Barratt and Murphy’s extended ten-year creative gestation, with the album’s lead single “Simulation” arriving back in 2012. Nearly nine years later, on Crooked Machine, the track has been hauntingly broken down and rebuilt with a darker tone of musical extravagance in the form of “Assimilation,” reinvigorating its appeal and relevance for lockdown-fatigued listeners eager to return to the dancefloor.
Every track on the album resides somewhere between divine and unique, but tracks like “Echo Returns” (the reinterpreted “Narcissus”) and “Less Is More” (“Something More” on Róisín Machine) tread the areas of dub, thumping bass and at times appear stripped back, when, in reality, they are just as captivating as their original forms. Barratt is clearly an expert at his craft and an innovator, whose soundscapes reflect him exercising his artistic freedom, unencumbered by musical conventions or others’ expectations.
Róisín’s “machine,” crooked or not, is a transformative voyage into what dance music should be: creative, collaborative, unaffected and all night long.
Notable Tracks: “Less Is More” | “Kingdom of Machines” | “We Are the Law”
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