When labels started using YouTube, it made finding new artists so much easier than in the early 2010s. Now you can listen and preview artists all year long. I found MurderMartyr through The Vault. PoemforNothing is a full length that’s based in shoegaze and according to the band combines “genres like sound collage, glitch, ambient, and free jazz.”
It’s a very accurate description of PoemforNothing. The first song, “Harpsidream,” starts as an ambient and glitch track that uses shoegaze’s style definitions in the composition. The actual song is more like melodic drone. So at first listen, it sounds and kind of feels off. Then, as you keep listening, you are drawn into the music.
MurderMartyr’s genre combinations play out through different amounts of style influence. The start of “PurgatorySherpa” is shoegaze before weaving in glitch. What’s impressive is that it sounds like a natural progression and none of the music feels or sounds forced. There’s a strong melodic focus on every verse and while you can’t get lost, it does ask you to wander.
Over the 10 songs and almost 45 minutes of music, I do hear a lot of repetition. It’s not that MurderMartyr uses the same notes or rhythms, but there’s an overall “tone sameness.” It could come from the mixing or mastering, but there’s an overarching muteness to the songs.
It’s like each song has a unique vision and delivery and then a filter is laid on top, and that just removes a lot of the difference. I want bigger highs and lower lows, but everything on PoemforNothing feels like it lacks some friction. Especially with the genres that MurderMartyr uses, I want something that goes from smooth to abrasive.
All the ideas and composition on PoemforNothing are engaging and I like a lot of moments like the early verses of “Vertigo.” As their first full length, it’s a great set of songs that may be more engaging live. But this album actually feels a little safe.
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.
