InPress - 9/June
Beautiful Sharks Review - InPress
SOMETHING FOR KATE
Beautiful Sharks
(Murmur)
"I'm sorry, I know it's only rock 'n' roll," mumbles Paul Dempsey in the opening track, but what follows is in the traditional sense something quite different. Rock 'n' roll is easy to love, it is celebratory and angry. Beautiful Sharks certainly has its share of anger, but it mostly comes across as a deliberately stated, well thought out expression, rather than a spontaneous, reckless discharge. It does not lack energy, by any means - some songs fire as loudly as any before them. It is more that Dempsey's emotive vocal style, which is less violent than on Elsewhere..., and the deep intelligence of his lyrics provide the songs with a sense of delicacy that will initially overshadow the often robust guitar sounds.
Beautiful Sharks is one example of misleading first impressions, where the paddling rhythms and Stephanie Ashworth's backing vocals cover the song with an immediately obvious sweetness. With greater familiarity, it is the ominous guitars that strike in the chorus and murky bass that dominate the song's atmosphere. Conversely, once you manage to make out the rest on the lyrics from Electricity, that big nasty guitar doesn't frighten the way some lines capture the imagination: I watch the people and their cars in slow motion/They're beautiful like splintered glass."
The heralded arrival of Dempsey's singing, as opposed to growling voice, is strong but at the same time not a great departure. The Astronaut is one track that really stands back and allows the vocals a lot of space, and it remains one of the most memorable songs. A rounder edge is added by harmonious backing vocals on several tracks, but he really doesnt often register outside his most comfortable range. Easy, which has a weird 1970s psychodrama feel to it, and Big Screen Television, leaning back on a gentle swing, are probably the most interesting examples of his vocal progression.
Beautiful Sharks is a fantastic record, but difficult to come completely to terms with. it is certainly not a tough listen, by any means, but to glean its full meaning is a challenge not easily met. However quickly or slowly you get there, the final realisation will be an intense, intricate and important album.
- Greg Cormack
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