Search - Murmurs :: Blender

Oh Leisha and Heather - how i love you so...

Miss D. AwesomePants | Hoboken, NJ United States | 04/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i love ALL of the Murmurs three albums, but this one seems to be the most popular.THE SOUNDS:
the first self-titled album has a very acoustic, girly driven sound...
the second album, Pristine Smut, came back with a more rock kind of sound - with a twinge of country...
and the third album, Blender, is kind of a re-do of P.S., with a pop sound.COMPARISON TO PRISTINE SMUT:
This album is nearly identical to their second effort, Pristine Smut. However, Sleepless Commotion, a beautiful song about the murder of the artist's mother, was removed on Blender. And some very pop-oriented songs that don't appear on Pristine Smut, were added to Blender... which, in my opinion are kind of silly. (a song called "La Di Da.) I prefer Pristine Smut to Blender, but unfortunately, it is out-of-print and hard to find. But if you can purchase it used, i HIGHLY reccommend it. If not, Blender is good too!THE COVER ART:
wow. heather and leisha look breath-taking on this cover... which is ultimately the reason why it out-sold Pristine Smut. and it is packaged in an oh-so-fun pink, transparent jewel case.The Murmurs are by far, one of my favorite bands, and have been for the pasrt 6 years. Unfortunately, they never put out a new album after this... but it is still super fun and remains part of my CD rotations."

Excellent pop music, shining brightly.

D. Mok | Los Angeles, CA | 06/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though Heather Grody and Leisha Hailey both have the chirpy, Go-Go's-style voices that could lead to too-sugary material and performances, Blender deftly avoids such directions by muscular instrumentation, terrific-sounding production, imaginative vocal arrangements, and first-class songwriting."La Di Da" is one of those songs that'll stick in your mouth for days. Lovely shimmerings of electric guitar with a buoyant lyric that doesn't lack for brains, and that irresistible chorus. The folk-pop gem "Genius" is elegant and assured, and "Misfit" cleverly employs an unusually long catchphrase for a hook and works marvellously. Even the uptempo song (often the weak point of girl-pop groups) "Smash" fits the Grody/Hailey vocal duo well, thanks to a rocky but not quite brash arrangement filled with sonic detail. Matthew Wilder and k.d. lang are both unusually apt producers for The Murmurs, and they both weave acoustic guitars, keyboards, vocals and the backbeat into the ultimate pop brew. I bought this CD as a Japanese import (bonus tracks) -- well worth the extra money. I'm eager to hear The Murmurs' next release."

Good but...

D. Mok | 11/02/1998

(3 out of 5 stars)

"...a bit of a bummer since all but three of the tracks were on their previous cd Pristine Smut. SOMEONE has not grasped the concept of an ep. Suck as it may, the evil genie's plan to re-issue! re-package! succeeds thanks to the new tracks, especially la di da, which any fan of the plugged-in, poppier Murmurs is bound to fall for. They are still a good band, writing good stuff, so let's hope a hipper cover photo and a radio-friendly single bring in the profits the now-out-of-print Pristine Smut apparently failed to. Another bummer--one of the best tracks from PS, Sleepless Commotion, didn't make it into the Blender. Can't anything work out?At least it is definitely fair to say if you liked the last one you'll like this one!"