It's tempting to say that if this were a fair universe, Bloomington, Indiana's Murder By Death would be a household name in American music, but anyone who knows their distinct brand of dark and eclectic music knows that, like Tom Waits' oeuvre, it's probably just a little too weird for broad public consumption. Like many artists of their stripe though, they have developed a strong following in rock and roll's murky underworld, and those who know the talents of Murder By Death tend to know them very well indeed. Their musical ability is unassailable, and in their decade as a band they've shown themselves more than capable of capturing any mood or atmosphere they choose, it's just that what they choose seems to be on the stranger side of things.
Past albums have allowed listeners to meet zombie children, doomed sailors, dangerous women, wanted men, all manner of thieves, brigands, outlaws, and even the devil himself. All the wild things that roam the deserts, mountains, and plains of the American subconscious are there populating their country-tinged rock and roll.
September 25th will mark the release of their sixth LP, entitled Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, and bassist Matt Armstrong graciously took some time out to talk to Invisible Vanguard about their new album, new band member, and the new approach to marketing that Kickstarter has provided....
INVISIBLE VANGUARD: Murder By Death has built their reputation on delivering consistently strong albums that each have a distinct flavor. How will Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon stand apart from your previous efforts? Are there any particular themes that went into this release?
MATT ARMSTRONG: Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon will certainly stand out sonically from all of our other releases. I think that's going to be the first thing people will notice when they hear the album. Thematically it isn't really a concept album, but there are some recurring ideas. A lot of it involves the idea of thinking you're in a nice, quiet town, but it turns out there's a seedy underbelly. Think "Twin Peaks" or "Blue Velvet" without the backwards talking and gas-huffing.
IV: It appears that the Kickstarter campaign has been a great success. Does it feel different to have fans give directly to you, rather than through standard sales? Has it changed the way the new album was produced or marketed?
MA: In certain ways it feels the same because so little of our income really comes from labels and things like that. We've always relied heavily on selling merchandise directly to fans either on tour or online. That being said, the Kickstarter campaign was a bit of a different animal. I like that it allowed people to choose their level of involvement. On one hand, a fan could come to our show and buy a record from us for twenty bucks, or that same fan could check out the Kickstarter and decide to spend X amount of dollars and get a really cool, unique prize. We've always tried to be accessible to people who support us, but with this campaign it's like "Do I want to buy a shirt and do shots with the band at the show or do I want to save up and have the band send me postcards once a tour?" So I guess maybe it's not that the marketing is super-different so much as it's way more involved and extensive.IV: Will the new album have a standard release as well as the Kickstarter?
MA: The album will still have a standard release. The Kickstarter was primarily for the vinyl editions and as a means to dish out the cool prizes and adventures.
IV: You've offered some fairly crazy treats for backers on your campaign, how did you all decide on those? More to the point, how did you convince Dagan to get a fan-chosen tattoo?
MA: Some of the ideas had been around a long time, such as the house shows/playing a wedding/etc. We've always wanted to do those kinds of things but it has always been tricky to schedule because of tours or finances or whatever. We figured this way we could let it be known to anyone that cared that we are open to these ideas. As far as the tattoo goes, Dagan just has a thing for funny tattoos, so that one was a no-brainer. We're going to have to record 15 or so covers because of the Kickstarter, too. People often ask us why we don't cover certain songs, and this gave us the chance to say, "Well, what do you want to hear? Let's do it!"
IV: How has the addition of Scott Brackett (previously of Okkervil River) to the lineup changed the way songs are written and/or performed? Does it alter the band dynamic to a substantial degree?
MA: Adding a new person to a band always changes things to some degree. A new person means a new set of skills, a new social dynamic, and another opinion. We're really lucky to have Scott because he's really talented at a lot of different instruments and he fits right in with the existing group dynamic. Having a really talented person who's a jerk can really screw things up for a band. He adds cool touches to old songs and has lots of great ideas for new songs. It definitely adds to the live show and recording.
IV: This will be your sixth LP and first for Bloodshot records. When you're writing for a new album now, do you guys approach it differently than you did ten years ago?
MA: In a sense, yes. If you do this kind of thing long enough you're able to look back and see what has and hasn't worked for you. Hopefully you learn from your missteps in the past and hopefully you've grown as a player. One major difference that comes to mind is that in the past everyone was trying to play all the time. Sometimes it takes you a while to know your place. That old saying about never missing a chance to shut up is very pertinent to writing music. After a while you learn how to lay back when you need to, so when you do play something it matters.
IV: What's next for MBD? What goals do you have in sight for the band?
MA: There will obviously be touring. We love to travel and still have a lot of the world to see, so we're very much looking forward to getting to some new places. We'd absolutely love to do soundtrack work as well. Hopefully we'll get a chance to get into some of that soon.
IV: Anything else you want people to know?
MA: We are so lucky to have such great fans. Thank you all for making our shows amazing and for all the support for the Kickstarter. We really couldn't do this without you.
Thanks to Matt Armstrong and all of Murder By Death! Check out their website for tour dates and make sure to preorder Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon.
