Oxfordshire musician Richard Walters is pretty prolific and apart from his work with LYR (alongside poet laureate Simon Armitage and Patrick Pearson) and under the moniker of Sun Lo (in his recent collaboration with ATTLAS), ‘Murmurate’ is his first collection of songs to be released in Walters’ own name since 2020’s ‘Golden Veins’. ‘Murmurate’ was sketched out during a period of reflection during the pandemic but is not another “lockdown album,” but rather a reflection of the curious period that followed.
The Album opens with `Move On` and it`s a fairly contemplative piece addressing things that may have been said between partners during the lockdown. A fairly intensive listen with piano keys and wavering vocals that reflect the pain felt. A song looking for forgiveness rather than redemption. There`s a similar texture to `All Over` but with more musical depth, which appears to dwell on how quickly days and maybe life in general passed by and maybe mistakes made during this period.
`After Midnight` muses on how couples can differ on their perception of leisure time with one wanting to hit the town and the other stay home. The singer has said it`s an anthem for homebodies and that overwhelming need for the expected, well-worn, and loved. A thoughtful piece shared over shimmering guitar and synth, some hand clapping, and a pleading vocal delivery. Lydia Oliver adds vocals to `Lost In Your Light` a song of yearning, seeking what has almost been lost in a relationship undergoing the strain of misunderstandings. A gentle delicate listen where seemingly both points of view are shared..
`Anchor`, I read is a response to the singer finding himself away from his daughters for the first time in almost twenty months, a fragile composition with a double bass that gives it a yearning almost haunted quality. There`s an almost sense of relief on `Salt` a melodic acoustic guitar led piece portraying the inner peace and reconciliation of returning to the open road and sense of expansive settings.
`Open Everything` is another fairly intensive listen with lyrics that are probably a metaphor for something deep that wasn`t that obvious to me. I think `Avenues` refers to the dissolution of a relationship. An introspective examination on what`s gone wrong which had a kind of sense of bitterness underlying the drifting and meditative musical soundscape.
`Long Way Down` is an upbeat fairly fast paced composition that is another that seems to relate to the aftermath of the lockdown and the freedom associated with coming through such a dark and difficult time.
There`s similar sentiment on `Atlantic Lullaby` but shared in a slower more preoccupied and absorbing sound.
`Philip Seymour Hoffman` is a tribute to the sadly missed actor on a number named after him, a pretty potent and impassioned number. This forty minute opus concludes with `Skye` a further reverie on life returning to normal.
Richard reconnected with producer, multi-instrumentalist, and friend Eliot James, with the pair fleshing out Walters’ new songs with many of the instruments to be heard across it. Eliot’s eleven year old son Leland James added cello accompaniments and guest vocalist Lydia Oliver can be heard laying down her backing vocals across many of the album’s tracks. I saw the singer four years ago supporting Babybird and said then that Richard`s music has featured on a number of TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy, CSI: Miami, Bones, Criminal Minds and Tin Star and has been described as ethereal, which is probably as good description as any.
`Murmurate` is a deeply reflective composition that has a real openness, vulnerability and at times fragility about it. It can become a bit overwhelming at times but i`m sure you`ll discover something fresh each time you return to it.
Rating 8.5 /10
