Swimming is an appropriate metaphor for this fourth album from the Cambridge, Mass., trio who in 1993 had probably their biggest hit with "Cure for Pain." On this recording, the band that made an art form of wry observation and regret dive deeper into their psychologically complex musical tradition with more songs akin to aural sex.Ever cool, yet seductively hot, Morphine got a welcome career boost when their unmistakable sound was included on the soundtracks to several films including 1995's "Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead," and "Get Shorty."
Morphine's sultry swing-jazz saxophone (Dana Colley sometimes plays two simultaneously) comingled with Mark Sandman's baritone voice and slide-bass sounds less rocking but more mature this time out. One example is "I know You (Pt III)" which fully realizes a composition begun almost tentatively on the trio's first album, "Good," which Ryko re-released after Morphine hit the big time with "Cure." Added layers of echo and instrumentation -- uncharacteristic organ, guitar, feedback here and there -- add density to the production without spackling over the evocative sounds and images of the songs. "I'm exactly where I want to be right now," Sandman sings, displaying the great comfort he felt making this album.
On "Early to Bed," a dance club track getting local radio play, Sandman advises, "Early to bed/and early to rise/makes a man or woman/miss out on the nightlife." But true to tradition, Sandman swims into dark waters in "Empty Box," "Murder for the Money," which laments the necessity to sell one's soul to make a living, and in "Potion," where he sings, "Give me a potion/to make me love you/give me a potion/to make me care ..."
Whether stroking along on the surface or diving deep into the human psyche, Morphine's songs always swing it low. The only flaw in their albums is their consistent shortness: under 38 minutes for the 12 songs on "Like Swimming." Just a quick dip.
Copyright Nicole M. Robertson, 1997
Included are three live tracks recorded for radio, two from soundtracks and two from various-artist compilations as well as songs released only on CD singles. Two of the B-sides, "Shame," and "My Brain," make regular appearances in the Boston trio's live shows, though this studio version of "My Brain" with its stretched and slowed vocal track has a very different feeling -- one of mental illness -- from the straightforward concert version which more often elicits a chuckle: "My whole brain was out of tune/I don't know how to tune a brain, do you?/Went into a brain shop/they said they'd have to rebuild the whole head/I said, 'well, do what you gotta do.' "
Another guffaw-inducer, "Pulled Over The Car," was previously found only on the Japanese release of the record "Yes." In it, vocalist Mark Sandman sings a rhythmic poem about getting sleepy behind the wheel. What happens next ... well, you can guess it.
Morphine, whose music usually consists only of two-string bass, saxophones and drums, deviates from the usual with bright Spanish guitar in "Bo's Veranda," from the soundtrack to the John Travolta film, "Get Shorty." Other highlights of this collection are the breezy "Mile High," from "Things to do in Denver When You're Dead," and two more tracks, "Down Love's Tributaries," and "Sundayafternoonweightlessness," which let saxophonist Dana Colley stretch out with some free-form jazz.
This record lets Morphine display the band's outer edges, from the fun stuff to their more serious jazz-beat style. Perhaps not as commercial as their earlier releases, it's a tasty collection, full of nuance.
Copyright Nicole M. Robertson, 1997
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