It only took him, what, 32 years since he dropped his underrated 1993 solo debut “In Thrall” on DGC, but expat Guadalcanal Diary lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Murray Attaway sure delivered in spades — or rather, make that delivered in stereo — with his most excellent next-century followup, “tense music plays. . .].” Presented via his own Moonray label on limited-edition colour vinyl, [tense] is an exhilarating, endlessly enjoyable listen from the initial needle drop to the final needle lift — and it provides even more aural goodness upon repeat listens. “It almost takes my breath away,” Attaway sings on Side 1’s lead track, “Breath,” exhibiting a long-learned level of control and emotion in the deliberately extended vowels in its recurring refrain.
The interplay between his naked lead vocal, acoustic guitar, and Ana Balka’s violin on the ensuing track, “Stars Behind the Moon,” is also breathtaking in its own right — as is the payoff looooong-vowel extension in the back half of “Hole in the Ground,” the track that follows it.
And don’t get me started on the snarling, sultry groove drama comprising “Old Christmas” (Side 2, Track 2) — or maybe do. “The songs tell you how they should sound,”
Attaway said on Zoom earlier this year “I hope the LP sounds honest and genuine — not manufactured,” he continued. “I’m aware that my vocals aren’t perfectly on pitch and all that, but I was okay with it because I thought, ‘Well, this is what I sound like right now’ — and that’s honest.” To modify an old Guadalcanal Diary line, honest is as honest does, so I suggest you go directly to Attaway’s Bandcamp page to get your own copy of this stellar LP right now, in the present tense. (My copy is on orange-crush vinyl, but clear vinyl is what’s currently available.
The Fat Angel Sings 