388) Morphine - Cure for Pain

Know the artist like the back of my hand, have heard of them and have a good knowledge of them, vaguely think I know of them, do know them but never actually heard a song or “not got a bloody clue.”  Guess what? Morphine are in the not got a bloody clue category. Time for a trawl of the internet and several listens.

Morphine were together for ten years releasing five albums and tragically ended when lead singer Mark Sandman died of a heart attack live on stage and the band disbanded instantly, a terrible way for a band to end.

The band described themselves as “low rock”, a trio of bass (two stringed no less), saxophone and drums and Cure for Pain was their second record.

The record opens and ends with two underwhelming instrumentals but Buena starts us off and would not be out of place in Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul as we have the bass leading us in before the drums arrive and Sandman’s gravely chilled laidback vocal. Dana Colleys sax takes over before leaving the scene for Sandman to return, it has a groove to it and I’m Free Now, Mark talks to us with the sax flowing in the background, I don’t know jazz but a sax, bass and percussion is what I would expect of jazz but this is indie/jazz (try finding that section in your local record shop).

You would think with these minimal instruments that there would be not a lot going on but you would be wrong.  Colleys sax is all over this, seemingly he sometimes played two at once, but not for the odd sax solo but to help lead these dark addictive songs.

In Spite of Me Jimmy Ryan helps out on mandolin as Sandman praises a friend who has succeeded despite him and you welcome the deep dirty sprawling story that is Thursday, you will be shocked to know infidelity is not a good idea.

A band called Morphine with a song called Cure for Pain you can guess the context but it circles back to the chorus and again they draw you into their world and we end with a two and a half minute obsession with Sheila and her cat.

If someone had said to me do you want to borrow a record that contains sax, two string bass and drums I would have instantly passed, as we know dear friends I have a one hundred percent record of being wrong, yep I have managed it again, should be heard.

7/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Thursday