First Thoughts: Róisín Murphy’s “Overpowered”

As with the bulk of my discoveries, Pandora was the catalyst that led to my uncovering of Róisín Murphy some months ago. I’m not sure which station brought up the song – it has subsequently appeared on a number of the stations I’ve assembled – but “Dear Miami” was the first of Róisín’s unique tunes to cross my path and effectively snag my ear.

“Dear Miami” is a regrettably under-appreciated track on her “Overpowered” album – no music video (yet), but a few dedicated individuals made certain that it was out there in one form or another for consumption by the masses. I found a decent version on YouTube, and played it fairly regularly. The well-timed beats and soulful lyrics quickly fought for dominance in my brain and I caught myself humming the tune (as well as I could) often.

YouTube, however, was a poor approximation and I became increasingly annoyed with the poor quality.

“So why don’t you buy it?” The snarky individual (or label exec) may retort.

Funny you should ask… It’s not readily available in the United States.

At least not in any modern form.

iTunes won’t sell it to Americans, and since I already had an account with the US store it would have taken an act of Congress to set up a UK account. Not to mention the headache of buying in Pounds Sterling and the associated fees I would be assessed by my credit card carriers for not trading in my native currency. It just wasn’t a very feasible option. Amazon didn’t have MP3s available, and the bulk of the imported CDs I wound up tracking down were either no longer available or would have cost upwards of $40 to purchase… Shipping not included. Any CD over $20 (there were a couple I found for $22 or so) must be made of gold to be worth the acquisition in this day of digital files and immediate downloads.

So I stewed, and held my payment.

Several months later (i.e. last week) I randomly decided to go and see if any merchants in the US had picked Róisín up, and was delighted to find that tower.com not only had an imported version (French from what I can tell) but also had it on sale for $14 and some change! Visa came out in a technological flash and I acquired.

Well Róisín showed up a few days ago, and I really haven’t stopped listening since.

I had made my rounds before I bought the CD: I checked to see if I liked the bulk of the songs that I could freely listen to across the internet and I briefly went over the rest by whatever 30 second clips I could find. At the time I thought some of the songs were good (“Overpowered”, “Movie Star”) but I wasn’t thoroughly convinced about the rest of the album. “Dear Miami,” however, was a prize just about worth all $14 in my mind so I went for it.

Great maker, did I wind up being lucky. There is a bunch of hype surrounding Róisín on the internet (from those lucky Europeans and few others with access to her), but it’s clearly hard to tell who just likes her as a cult follower and who likes her for her contribution to the art. Well, I was either rapidly brainwashed into the cult or her artistry overwhelmed in short order.

I like to think the latter.

In all fairness though, my girlfriend found very little special about the album calling it “repetitive” but something that she could see listening to as background sound. Our tastes do differ a bit so definitely check the music videos for a few of her songs before dismissing the album.

What to take away…

Róisín Murphy is in the broad spectrum between pure electronica and experimental pop, but I think it’s her vocal prowess that sets her apart. Her voice is velvety especially when she hits some of her lower notes… It’s intoxicating if you can sit though the admittedly cyclical music and heavy synth use.

What should you expect?

Uniquely deep and firm vocals – especially for an electronica infused album. Good dancing beats, and a general sense of being uplifted although a few songs buck that trend. Also, as you will find if you watch a music video or two, Róisín is a classic glam musician – her costumes are half the reason the videos are so interesting.

What would she pair with?

“Overpowered” is a hard album to pair with a single beverage because it’s a bit broad in its tone, but in a pinch I would go with a crème liquor on the rocks and right now I’m leaning towards Baileys.

Favorite song?

“You Know Me Better” is a tremendous piece that I don’t recall listening to before receiving the album. Definitely worth a few plays.