From the depths of the Smoky Mountains, Murder By Death is about to bring forward its followup to 2008’s Red of Tooth and Claw , entitled Good Morning, Magpie. On April 6th, we’ll be getting another earful of the quartet’s unique blend of Gothic, rock, folk, and alt-country. Inspired by singer/guitarist Adam Turla’s ‘woodland experience’ last June, the 10-track record, according to Turla, “is some of the darkest and brightest material we have ever written.” Good Morning, Magpie is set to mark a drastic sonic difference for Murder By Death, standing out as more light-hearted and goofy, compared to the band’s traditional focus on darker, moodier concept albums.
Considering its birthplace, Good Morning, Magpie , however, still carries with it a bit of mysticism and darkness. The title alone references the superstition of the magpie, wherein a member of the crow family “has a bit of the devil in him, and if you don’t greet the devil before he sees you, he can steal a part of your soul.”
Bogged down and exhausted from last year’s tour, Turla set off to the Smoky Mountains alone to clear his mind and work on some new material. Recently, in an interview with Spinner, Turla explained, “I basically had to just up and go. I drove out to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, parked the car and went into the woods with a backpack and a tent. I came out two weeks later with a bunch of songs.” Armed with only “a tent, a fishing pole, a guitar, and a lot of paper,” Turla began working on what was to be Good Morning, Magpie, a result of countless nights spent scribbling in his notebook to the light of a small propane lamp.
And yes, there will be another U.S. tour. Currently in the works, official dates are expected sometime in the coming weeks.
