Oh, how I love how music can transport you to another time and dimension, free you from the stresses of life and take you away from it all, even if its just for an hour!

Cellophane Radio is an album that can do just that. Doomy and grungy, this album is seven tracks worth of distorted fuzziness!

Murnau was first formed over a decade ago in Morrison, Illinois but had to take a multi-year hiatus, reforming in 2019 and Cellophane Radio is their third album.

A two-piece drums and guitar band with Alec Riggen on vocals, guitar and mellotron and Nick Pompou on percussion, this pair really do have a big sound, playing stripped down, loud and atmospheric music.

With its doomy intro, influenced by a mixture of 90’s goth and grunge, the album builds up with its heavy yet catchy choruses and doom-laden riffs. Distortion of both the guitars and the vocals give it a raw yet dark vibe, and the multi-layered vocals give it dimension and feeling.

The band chose to cover PJ Harvey’s Dear Darkness, taking it to a darker and heavier level with lots of gloomy, well-mixed vocals and I think this shows just the sheer talent of these two guys.

This album has lots of highly emotional lyrics and beautiful orchestrations and mixed with the distortion, this also creates a very proggy and psychedelic vibe.

I really did like listening to this album and if you are a fan of anything goth / grunge / alternative / prog / psychedelic then I think you will too. Blurring the lines between genres is one of the things I love about bands, and Murnau do it beautifully.

I will certainly be keeping an ear out for anything new these guys release and will go check out the previous two releases. I urge you to do the same!

TRACK LISTING:

1) Baltic Sea

2) Primroses

3) Un Chien Andalou Pt 3: About Three in The Morning

4) Silhouette

5) Witness

6) Secrets

7) Is He The Man?

8) Veneer

9) Overhead

10) Dear Darkness

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum