Cascade in Bloomington, MN

Following the
Holy Smoke
tour,
the Hundred Men
disbanded, with only
Statham
remaining as
Murphy
's main songwriting partner. Along with the help of producer
Pascal Gabriel
and some good session players, including extra "infinite guitar" from cult musician
Michael Brook
,
created the marvelous
Cascade
. Another step further up in
's continuing embrace of generally positive, inspiring work,
shows him once again not repeating himself, aside perhaps from the sprightly, acoustic guitar-led
"The Scarlet Thing in You."
Otherwise, the music this time is generally lush and electronic, emphasizing
's atmospherics and melodies to their fullest.
"Subway"
is a good example, with
's synth strings creating a striking air for both the band's performance and
's own passionate vocals, which cheekily quote the old
Petula Clark
hit
"Don't Sleep in the Subway."
"Gliding Like a Whale,"
which immediately follows it, is just as vast and powerful, a strong guitar/electronics arrangement giving
the opportunity to deliver an equally compelling lyric and chorus. More upfront rockers haven't been left out of the equation:
"Disappearing"
builds a slow crunch reminiscent of his cover of
"The Light Pours Out of Me,"
while
"Wild Birds Flock to Me"
has a good charge to it, accentuated by some fine backing vocals. Arguably
's best song yet appears smack dab at the album's center:
"I'll Fall With Your Knife."
With a slightly quirky
keyboard loop starting things out, it develops from a minimal vocal/electric guitar combination into a huge, skybound declaration of love and devotion. It's
at his most commanding and passionate, and the band's brilliant performance doesn't let up a jot. ~ Ned Raggett