Red of Tooth and Claw evokes the Old West

Turla sounds a little like Johnny Cash.

By Joel Schafer

Published March 7, 2008

Western Americana seems like an odd focus for an indie rock band, especially since most indie rockers have hated anything related to this country since they first listened to 13 Songs or Damaged.

But as uncool as America is, who wouldn’t love to have been a part of the great expansion westward? Lawless gangs, saloons, freedom at its best and, among it all, the looming possibility of dying by the gun at any moment.

Murder by Death is a band that provides such escapism, invoking the feeling of the Old West through galloping riffs, ominous cellos and gravely vocals that seem to stem from the Man in Black himself.

For four albums now, the Indiana quartet have mixed rockabilly, country and Americana to create a foreboding sound which leaves listeners crying, “I can’t believe it’s not alt-country!”

Don’t even think about putting bands like Drive-By Truckers or Son Volt next to these guys. A comparison as such would only prove how inorganic other alt-country bands are when standing next to Murder by Death.

On Red of Tooth and Claw, the band finds themselves pursuing more of a rock sound than they have pursued before. More up-tempo, guitar driven songs are found on this dusty, sepia-toned record than on any previous release.

Lead singer/guitarist Adam Turla recalls Johnny Cash pretty easily but has a lower, whiskey-soaked overtone that is reminiscent of one of the most overlooked singers of the ‘90s, Mark Lanegan.

It’s his voice along with Sarah Balliet’s cello that guide the listener through the cloudy, malicious passageways of the album.

The album opens with the fast paced mini-epic “Comin’ Home” and showcases just about every member of the band perfectly.

Balliet jumps between keyboards and her cello throughout most of the track, while Turla makes a simple majestic chord progression the central figure of the song.

The rhythm section of Dagan Thogerson (drums) and Matt Armstrong (bass) hold things together admirably, but their talents are better displayed on the romping “Ball and Chain” which is the next track.

A surefire Murder by Death classic is found in “Fuego!”

With a musky introduction and a simple two-chord verse, Turla sets the stage to prove that he is a credible storyteller, and then cuts loose during the chorus with a heartfelt semi scream.

The highlight of the track comes when Turla and Balliet have a riff-off between guitar and cello.

Red of Tooth and Claw is a triumph for Murder by Death, but isn’t without various failures.

The band’s pursuit of more conventional rock ‘n’ roll works against them just as much as it works for them, creating a somewhat less varied sound when compared to past releases.

Some tracks also tend to come across as watered-down versions of the one that came just before it.

But even with these small problems, the album still does a great job of doing exactly what it should: providing listeners with escapism.