Alexi Murdoch – Towards The Sun EP

Towards The Sun is, to put it very bluntly, a chilled out, miniature masterpiece of a record.  This mellow seven song collection will have you glued to your headphones from start to finish and leave you craving more when it’s over.

We start this compact adventure with the EP’s title track.  Towards The Sun eases you in with beautiful acoustic guitar, complimented perfectly by Alexi’s crystal clear vocals, which are hauntingly distinctive yet possess enough of a quirky twang to really make him stand out in a sea of singer/songwriters.  At Your Door has a touch more grit and swagger than its predecessor, with a guitar riff that will reside in your head for the rest of the day.  It reaches a subtle crescendo with guitar accompanied by a bout of understated trumpets.  Some Days Soon is a nostalgic number, a quality blatantly obvious in the lyrics, ‘I love my father and I love him well/ I hope to see him some day soon’.  This is no bad thing though, it’s a catchy track that you’ll easily find yourself humming along to, incessantly upbeat and summery.  Slow Revolution tones things down a notch, lacking the cheery vibrancy present in Some Days Soon.  This doesn’t lessen its haunting charm however.  You still find yourself hanging on every lyric Alexi utters and appreciating the easy going loveliness of the track.

Through The Dark stays in a similar vein to Slow Revolution, beautifully melancholic with Alexi’s vocals assuming a rich brooding quality.  The unusually titled Her Hands Were Leaves is packed full of whimsical charm, a dreamy track with floating, breezy guitar.  It bodes well for a light ending to this impressively laid back and intriguing body of work.  This end comes in the form of Crinam Wood, perhaps the liveliest track on the EP, Alexi’s guitar has accrued a sudden spring in its step which makes it one of the highlights of the record.

Towards The Sun packs a mighty punch for such a small collection of work, though this should really come as no surprise, bearing in mind Alexi is the musical brain behind the soundtrack for Sam Mendes’ film Away We Go.  Fans of the film’s soundtrack will undoubtedly adore this latest effort, while new comers are destined to discover a new musical addiction.

www.aleximurdoch.com