Bob Dylan has just had his first-ever Billboard number-one single of any kind with his recent surprise release “Murder Most Foul”. He is currently at the top of the Rock Digital Song Sales chart. Hard to believe that it has taken 55 years for it to happen. His first appearance on the Billboard chart was in 1965 with “Subterranean Homesick Blues”. “Like A Rolling Stone” and “Rainy Day Women ♯12 & 35” made it to number 2 in 1965 and 1966 respectively. The former did reach the top of the Cashbox chart in 1965, but that chart was never as popular, important or influential as Billboard. It is the first Bob Dylan single to reach the top 100 of any Billboard chart since 1993. Congratulations Robert Zimmerman.
Click here to read our earlier review of “Murder Most Foul” written by Tom Ray.
Dylan celebrates with a cup of tea 😉
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Isolated in his East Village apartment, anti-folk figurehead and underground megastar Jeffrey Lewis has been experimenting with live streaming on his Facebook page for a couple of weeks now. I saw a couple of test runs of him singing and playing this song into his webcam before he finally streamed a full version of it on March 24th. I loved it and I chatted pleasantly with him a little about the lyrics in the comments.
He has now released the song officially on digital distribution and streaming platforms.
First things first, since he’s isolated in his apartment the recording is pretty lo-fi compared to his more recent releases like last year’s seminal album, Bad Wiring, this writer’s favourite album of 2019. This is a production style that has always suited Lewis and with modern technology, it even sounds thicker, warmer and cleaner than a lot of his older lo-fi recordings such as The East River or Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song. His trademark strumming on his battered old acoustic guitar is as strong but simple as always.
Lyrically, the song deals with the boredom of isolation as well as the repetitiveness of important ways of combating the virus, like social distancing and washing your hands. As the song goes on though, Lewis gets angrier and the lyrics start talking about the way the American government has handled the pandemic. He refers to Donald Trump as “that orange clown who runs DC” and refers to his supporters as “his Ku Klux Kranks”.
Finally, in the last verse, he talks about the positives that will hopefully come in the aftermath of the pandemic. He talks about how “maybe a wide alliance will respect more science” and ‘we’ll have a full-on call for healthcare for all”. My favourite line is “It’s happened once or twice that when there’s times of crisis, giant good things come from change”. On Facebook, he commented that “the NHS arising after WW2 is part of what inspired me to have such thoughts…”. Hopefully, we can follow the good advice in the first couple of verses and look forward to building the better world he envisions in the final verse. Keep it chill.
Keep it Chill in the East Vill is available to stream or buy from all the usual places. Spotify, YouTube,
etc.
Written by Tom Ray
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Our writer Tom Ray has been released from the Mayhem Mansions cellar and wants to share his thoughts on Bob Dylan’s new opus. Read it to find out what Tom thought of it and let us have your thoughts on “Murder Most Foul”. Dylan’s lyrics for the song have also been copied below, I hope that you don’t mind Mr Zimmerman.
It seems that Bob Dylan has had things on his mind for a long time. Things keeping him awake for the last 57 years. Murder Most Foul, his first original release in 8 years, is one of the most significant pieces of art of the 21st century. Its title comes from Shakespeare. Its lyrics are a complex, labyrinthine monologue that takes us through some of the most significant events of the 20th century, starting with the death of US President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Its trip through myriad cultural references is fragmented and broken. The Beatles releasing I Want To Hold Your Hand, released just six days after Kennedy’s assassination in the UK and a couple of months later in the US, on Boxing Day. Jim Crow America. Woodstock. DJ Wolfman Jack. Robert Johnson’s crossroad rendezvous with the Devil. Golden age Hollywood. All of the deepest scars in the American psyche are written large here in glorious technicolour. The assassination itself. Zapruder’s grainy home-movie of the grim event, ‘the most important 26 seconds of film in history’. Strip club owner Jack Ruby, who murdered the assassination suspect Lee Harvey Oswald in police custody. Vietnam. Marilyn Monroe. Even the civil war. It references multitudes of musicians, some of Dylan’s contemporaries, some more recent and some of Dylan’s heroes. We’re talking the Aforementioned Robert Johnson. The Who. Etta James. Billy Joel. Elvis. Sun RA. Plenty of material for the Dylanologists to get their teeth stuck into.
Murder Most Foul is a quasi-religious piece of art. Dylan is a priest giving communion. It’s an act of remembrance. A mournful dirge. We are his loyal flock, listening in for instruction and guidance. Listening for comfort and reassurance. Instead, we are met with 17 minutes of bleak beauty. It is a minimal composition of piano, violin, and some light percussion. It has very little sense of melody and a chanted, droning quality. Trapper Schoep, a millennial musician who has recently collaborated with Dylan, describes it as ‘” The Irishman” of songs’ and ‘a commentary on a major cultural event that’s happening now by referencing a major cultural event of the past’.
It’s fitting then, that Dylan released this piece at midnight on March 27th, 2020, as we transition from the post-war age of boom and bust, terror and drugs, rock and roll, peace and prosperity, hate and war, starvation and austerity and into the unknown future of the post-pandemic age laid out before us. He wrote on Twitter that it was ‘recorded a while back’ and something that fans ‘might find interesting’. ‘Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you’. Despite my atheism, I echo his sentiments.
Written by Tom Ray
Murder Most Foul is available to stream or buy from all the usual suspects. Spotify, YouTube etc.
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Bob Dylan – ‘Murder Most Foul’ lyrics:
Twas a dark day in Dallas, November ’63
A day that will live on in infamy
President Kennedy was a-ridin’ high
Good day to be livin’ and a good day to die
Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb
He said, “Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am?”
“Of course we do. We know who you are.”
Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car
Shot down like a dog in broad daylight
Was a matter of timing and the timing was right
You got unpaid debts; we’ve come to collect
We’re gonna kill you with hatred; without any respect
We’ll mock you and shock you and we’ll put it in your face
We’ve already got someone here to take your place
The day they blew out the brains of the king
Thousands were watching; no one saw a thing
It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise
Right there in front of everyone’s eyes
Greatest magic trick ever under the sun
Perfectly executed, skillfully done
Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman howl
Rub-a-dub-dub, it’s a murder most foul
Hush, little children. You’ll understand
The Beatles are comin’; they’re gonna hold your hand
Slide down the banister, go get your coat
Ferry ‘cross the Mersey and go for the throat
There’s three bums comin’ all dressed in rags
Pick up the pieces and lower the flags
I’m going to Woodstock; it’s the Aquarian Age
Then I’ll go to Altamont and sit near the stage
Put your head out the window; let the good times roll
There’s a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll
Stack up the bricks, pour the cement
Don’t say Dallas don’t love you, Mr. President
Put your foot in the tank and step on the gas
Try to make it to the triple underpass
Blackface singer, whiteface clown
Better not show your faces after the sun goes down
Up in the red light district, they’ve got cop on the beat
Living in a nightmare on Elm Street
When you’re down in Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe
Don’t ask what your country can do for you
Cash on the ballot, money to burn
Dealey Plaza, make left-hand turn
I’m going down to the crossroads; gonna flag a ride
The place where faith, hope, and charity died
Shoot him while he runs, boy. Shoot him while you can
See if you can shoot the invisible man
Goodbye, Charlie. Goodbye, Uncle Sam
Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I don’t give a damn
What is the truth, and where did it go?
Ask Oswald and Ruby; they oughta know
“Shut your mouth,” said the wise old owl
Business is business, and it’s a murder most foul
Tommy, can you hear me? I’m the Acid Queen
I’m riding in a long, black limousine
Riding in the backseat next to my wife
Heading straight on in to the afterlife
I’m leaning to the left; got my head in her lap
Hold on, I’ve been led into some kind of a trap
Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give
We’re right down the street from the street where you live
They mutilated his body, and they took out his brain
What more could they do? They piled on the pain
But his soul’s not there where it was supposed to be at
For the last fifty years they’ve been searchin’ for that
Freedom, oh freedom. Freedom cover me
I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free
Send me some lovin’; tell me no lies
Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by
Wake up, little Susie; let’s go for a drive
Cross the Trinity River; let’s keep hope alive
Turn the radio on; don’t touch the dials
Parkland hospital, only six more miles
You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy. You filled me with lead
That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head
I’m just a patsy like Patsy Cline
Never shot anyone from in front or behind
I’ve blood in my eye, got blood in my ear
I’m never gonna make it to the new frontier
Zapruder’s film I seen night before
Seen it 33 times, maybe more
It’s vile and deceitful. It’s cruel and it’s mean
Ugliest thing that you ever have seen
They killed him once and they killed him twice
Killed him like a human sacrifice
The day that they killed him, someone said to me, “Son
The age of the Antichrist has only begun.”
Air Force One coming in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at 2:38
Let me know when you decide to thrown in the towel
It is what it is, and it’s murder most foul
What’s new, pussycat? What’d I say?
I said the soul of a nation been torn away
And it’s beginning to go into a slow decay
And that it’s 36 hours past Judgment Day
Wolfman Jack, speaking in tongues
He’s going on and on at the top of his lungs
Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack
Play it for me in my long Cadillac
Play me that ‘Only the Good Die Young’
Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung
Play St. James Infirmary and the Court of King James
If you want to remember, you better write down the names
Play Etta James, too. Play ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’
Play it for the man with the telepathic mind
Play John Lee Hooker. Play ‘Scratch My Back’.
Play it for that strip club owner named Jack
Guitar Slim going down slow
Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe
Play ‘Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’
Play it for the First Lady, she ain’t feeling any good
Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey
Take it to the limit and let it go by
Play it for Karl Wirsum, too
Looking far, far away at Down Gallow Avenue
Play tragedy, play “Twilight Time”
Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime
Play another one and “Another One Bites the Dust”
Play “The Old Rugged Cross” and “In God We Trust”
Ride the pink horse down the long, lonesome road
Stand there and wait for his head to explode
Play “Mystery Train” for Mr. Mystery
The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree
Play it for the Reverend; play it for the Pastor
Play it for the dog that got no master
Play Oscar Peterson. Play Stan Getz
Play “Blue Sky”; play Dickey Betts
Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk
Charlie Parker and all that junk
All that junk and “All That Jazz”
Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz
Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd
Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd
Play the numbers, play the odds
Play “Cry Me A River” for the Lord of the gods
Play number 9, play number 6
Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks
Play Nat King Cole, play “Nature Boy”
Play “Down In The Boondocks” for Terry Malloy
Play “It Happened One Night” and “One Night of Sin”
There’s 12 Million souls that are listening in
Play “Merchant of Venice”, play “Merchants of Death”
Play “Stella by Starlight” for Lady Macbeth
Don’t worry, Mr. President. Help’s on the way
Your brothers are coming; there’ll be hell to pay
Brothers? What brothers? What’s this about hell?
Tell them, “We’re waiting. Keep coming.” We’ll get them as well
Love Field is where his plane touched down
But it never did get back up off the ground
Was a hard act to follow, second to none
They killed him on the altar of the rising sun
Play “Misty” for me and “That Old Devil Moon”
Play “Anything Goes” and “Memphis in June”
Play “Lonely At the Top” and “Lonely Are the Brave”
Play it for Houdini spinning around his grave
Play Jelly Roll Morton, play “Lucille”
Play “Deep In a Dream”, and play “Driving Wheel”
Play “Moonlight Sonata” in F-sharp
And “A Key to the Highway” for the king on the harp
Play “Marching Through Georgia” and “Dumbarton’s Drums”
Play darkness and death will come when it comes
Play “Love Me Or Leave Me” by the great Bud Powell
Play “The Blood-stained Banner”, play “Murder Most Foul”
New York based experimental indie outfit, Earthquake Lights met while studying jazz at college. Their sound is a blending of folk and indie with elements of more outré genres (including jazz, obviously) finding their way into the sound. The first single from their forthcoming sophomore album, ‘Distress Signals’, “The Eight-one” begins with some lo-fi reversed string samples and some low-key keyboards before a shuffling, jazz-inspired rhythm section lopes along languidly (think “Knives Out” era Radiohead). Clean tone guitars pleasantly chime in and the vocals have a nice reverby, lo-fi feel to them. When everything is at its loudest together there is a great atmospheric, even anthemic quality to “The Eight-one”. The production is definitely geared towards the rhythm section, the bass and rhythm guitar taking up most of the listeners attention, though the other elements in the mix sound clear and unclouded. The unusual mix of cleanly produced music with lo-fi vocals gives the sound a DIY edge that enhances the songs qualities.
“The Eight-one” is available to stream now from all the usual locations (Spotify, iTunes etc.). The album, ‘Distress Signals’, is released on April 12th 2019.
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem’s newest writer Tom Ray test drives the new itoldyouiwouldeatyou album. Check out his thoughts on ‘Oh Dearism’ below.
“It’s about Wilfred Owen, King Harold, Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves and Vladislav Surkov. All of these represent real people in my life at various different times. Some of them are me, too.”
itoldyouiwouldeatyou describe themselves as an Indie-Punk/Emo/Experimental act. I have to confess that ordinarily, the ‘E’ word would be enough to send me running for the hills, but I persevered and found a lot to like with ‘Oh Dearism’, their début album.
Hot on the heels of their February EP, ‘Get Terrified’, ‘Oh Dearism’ is a startlingly diverse record.
Before I talk about the music I’d just like to point out that I really like the album cover, especially the muted blue filter. It looks very much like a modern Shoegaze album. I also really like the lack of capitalisation in both the band’s name, and the song titles. These kinds of small, simple touches really make a band stand out to me.
The opening track, “earl, king, whatever” opens with a church organ playing a morose drone under lyrics inviting someone to a funeral, as a date. You know, like that Peep Show episode but with less humour. Beneath the organ drone, a distorted guitar drone fades in slowly. The whole intro has a grainy, lo-fi texture to it. The lo-fi vibes fade entirely when the guitar, bass and drums drop in, revealing a crisp, clean, modern production.
Across the following eight tracks, the lo-fi intro to hi-fi song trick is repeated several times, to great effect. The noisy segue between “earl, king, whatever” and “gold rush” is a great example. Or the analogue-sounding synth intro to ‘gathering things together and not dividing them’.
Throughout, eerie synth sounds and syncopated drumming rub comfortably against accomplished, melodic lead guitar and all manner of strange guitar pedal noises, from strange squelches to bitcrushed distortions. These are the sections of the album that I particularly enjoy, when the band really let their hair down and make noise. These sections remind me of a favourite ‘90’s band, Swirlies. Inhabiting the sonic space between Grunge and Shoegaze. I’d be interested to see itoldyouiwouldeatyou take this side of their sound further.
The lyrics tend to deal with issues such as (in their own words); “questions about identity, about love and sexuality, about gender, about morality and responsibility, about the social and political structures which constrain us, and about the fitness of the institutions and systems that underpin modern society to provide us with a world that works for us all.”
So, some pretty heady stuff to wrap your brain around, but I failed to find much depth to their lyrics. maybe I’m too old. I imagine, as a teenager, I’d probably find them a lot more poignant and poetic.
A decent effort for a band way outside my comfort zone.
‘Oh Dearism’ is released 16th November 2018.
In the meantime check out their video for latest single, “gold rush”;
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem’s newest writer Tom Ray posts his first review for the site and it is a rather excellent one!
Read Tom’s take on the new album from Atlanta’s New Junk City below!
“Listen, everyone knows that getting old kind of sucks. Simple tasks in life seem to be more difficult as the days and years go by, and you find yourself trading in record hunting and late night shows at dive bars for utility bills and early morning alarm clocks. The dichotomy of growing older and wiser and maintaining youthful exuberance becomes harder and harder to manage with every trip around the sun.”
Part of growing older is that you realise, somewhere around your mid-30’s, that you can’t really do the things you used to take for granted anymore. You can’t go out on a Tuesday night and get blind drunk and then wake up fresh as a daisy for work at 7am on Wednesday morning. This is the feeling that melodic Punk outfit New Junk City are attempting to get across on their sophomore album, ‘Same Places’.
There are certain things about New Junk City which instantly endear me to them. I love the fact that they are named after a level on the classic ‘90’s videogame Earthworm Jim. I love the guitar decorated with the phrase “This machine plays power chords” (pictured below).
All of the aches and pains that you develop as you leave your youth behind are explored in forensic detail across these nine high-tempo, anthemic punk tracks. The album opens with a screech of guitar feedback before the pounding drums, rumbling bass and furious power chords of “Useless Friends” come crashing in. Vocalist John Vournakis sings with an earnest determination in a gravelly but melodic voice, somewhere between Billie Joe Armstrong and Dexter Holland. There’s a deep running vein of pop melodies running through the album with some fantastic vocal melodies and accomplished lead guitar work. Musically, “Useless Friends” and “Stay Asleep” bring to mind the accessible snottiness of Dookie era Green Day, while “Losing Side” has a touch of the Beatles or Kinks in its lead guitar melodies. As well as the standard pop punk formula there are moments of surprise here and there. The albums closer, “Nothing Waiting”, starts with megaphone vocals and ends with gloriously unexpected synth melodies.
My personal highlight is the penultimate “In Our Blood”. The closest the album has to a “ballad”. A heavy, downtempo song with clear roots in both grunge and, to a lesser extent, Shoegaze. It culminates in an epic noise jam, saturated with feedback and wildly distorted guitars.
‘Same Places’ was recorded at Standard Electric Recorders in Decatur by Damon Moon. The production is slick and the mastering loud. Like a lot of contemporary albums, it does suffer from a lack of dynamic range, but the strong melodies and accomplished playing ensure an enjoyable listening experience.
Same Places is released on October 12th by Real Ghost Records.
For now, why not check out the fantastic video for the single, “Stay Asleep”.
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 