LOVE FAME TRAGEDY -DEBUT ALBUM REVIEW

 

Love Fame Tragedy just released their debut album ,Wherever I Go, I Want To Leave, via Good Soldier/AWAL Records. Love Fame Tragedy is the solo project of Matthew, “Murph”, Murphy who is the lead singer and guitarist of the British indie sensation The Wombats. Murphy uses Love Fame Tragedy as an avenue to record material not suited to The Wombats’ scheme of things.

Murphy assembled an amazing group of friends and collaborators to help record the new L.P. which was recorded in Los Angeles, London, and Sydney. Wherever I Go, I Want To Leave features Pixies‘ Joey Santiago, Mark Stoermer of The Killers, alt-J‘s Gus Unger-Hamilton and Kanye West’s drummer Matt Chamberlain among others. Definitely a top notch array of players.  In a recent NME article, he stated “Its somewhere between Gorillaz and a solo project. I wanna keep collaborating and getting people on board“.

Wherever I Go, I Want To Leave is a true testament to Murph’s creative skills. It’s the combination of Love Fame Tragedy‘s 2 previous E.P. s, I Don’t Want To Play The Victim, But I’m Really Good At It and Five Songs to Briefly Fill The Void, plus 7 new tracks. The album contains 17 infectious pop and indie tunes that cover a wide spectrum of topics including love lost, addiction and mental illness.

I prefer to go over each song in my reviews but due to the length of the record I will highlight my favorite tracks. Which is really hard since all the tunes are extremely commendable. Murphy is an admirable songwriter and puts interesting twists in each tune. Also, his messaging is poignant and emotional.

The album opens with the groove laden, “5150”. The synths are memorizing and Murphy‘s vocals are sublime. Even though the beat is laid back, the song has a much darker meaning. “5150” refers to the California statute concerning mental sickness. “5150” sets the mood for the entire record. Popping good music with underlining serious themes. The single “My Cheating Heart” follows and the tempo gets faster and smoother. The musical soundscape is intriguing and Maddi Jean Waterhouse’s background vocals are a perfect touch. Again, Murphy touches on human shortcomings and points out the flaws of a deceiving selfish lover.  He sings:

Money, women, cars

Leave my head among the stars

Cause I want it all

Yeah, yeah I want it all

Puppet on a string

Is it such an evil thing

Just to want it all?

Yeah, yeah want ti all

“Pills” is a bouncy number that chronicles chronic drug use. Murphy is a master in disguising his bleaker innermost thoughts with sparkling pop music.

The pills don’t work anymore

Not like they used to

Not like they used to

I still take em I don’t know what for

I never fucked up like this before

“Everything Affects Me Now” is another superb song. The rock tinged chorus takes the tune to a whole new level. “Honeypie”  is one of my faves. The percussion and guitar work are transcendent and swirl around Murphy‘s compelling vocals. “Riding The Waves”  with its eighty’s synth ambiance seizes the moment.

Wherever I Go, I Want To Leave is a total triumph for Murphy. All 17 songs have their own flavor yet the entire album works as a prodigious piece of art. Whether with The Wombats or Love Fame Tragedy, Murphy proves to be a true painter of exquisite music.

 

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