Nick Murphy
Breaking The Light
Cavalier Music/Shock


Nick Murphy, the Melbourne musician who founded The Anyones, has developed a solo album of elegaic music, influenced by 1960s folk. Murphy's subject matter is personal, reflecting on his newborn son, beauty, urban life amid shopping centres and nature strips - even cookery in The Cake Song, a sentimental ode to a "Baking queen" with "Food porn magazines."

Opening track Elated begins atmospherically in an echoing church with water drops falling, an organ sounding and tribal drumming, with prayerful vocal harmonies evocative of plainchant. Arrival, featuring Philippa Nihill, is a meditative lullaby that rises and swirls softly.

The Liar is a regretful look back at a misspent youth. However, the harsh and angry lyrics about wasting bad guys and spending time in the can are belied by the mournful folk music and slow, falsetto singing: it's difficult to imagine Murphy feeling anything more passionate than gentle sadness. In contrast, Second Son has a jangly, country-folk vibe animated by sawing violin and twanging pedal steel with understated backing vocals reminiscent of Simon And Garfunkel.

The rocking stream of consciousness, Carry Your Cloud, with its determined drums, singalong atmosphere, echoing vocals and disjointed lyrics - "Candy hair mandolin breath banjo mind scare me to death cellophane" - creates a trippy atmosphere of hazy euphoria. Psychedelic, Into The Stream, confuses with key changes, triumphant organ and piano chords and an insistent bass.

The sinister, Lovers Death Song, opens with wind chimes and soft reminders of seasons changing, building to celebratory harmony in the chorus. Murphy's music is by turns tender and ethereally distant but his subtle vocals are often difficult to understand, slipping into the background. He creates beautiful soundscapes but the songs are unaffecting and emotionally detached.

Rosie Clarke