Introspection
By
Remark &
Murmur
Now this one has been available for release for a couple of
weeks now but, due to me taking some time off in August, this is the earliest I
have been able to get into it.
Now many of you will know Remark from my reviews of his solo
work and that of his work with Immune and the hardcore vibes of Fireball
Flingaz, among others. For this release he teams with producer Murmur from Greenock,
Scotland, for something a little different. I have written about Remarks
background before, so feel free to check those other reviews But, I feel it is
worth mentioning a little about Murmur before we head into the review of Introspection.
Murmur has had a lifelong association with Hip Hop after
growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. As part of a DJ crew, they would put on their
own events in Glasgow and be the warmup for the artists headlining. Those early
years also saw a few occasions running from the cops through fields following
the break-up of so called ‘illegal raves’. After getting into a bit of
production, he began to take that more seriously around 3 to 4 years ago, then
working alongside emcees in the last couple of years. This led to him working
with Dan Brown, Prevmarco, and Peter Sparker. Murmur also produced for Legs MC,
which I have reviewed here too, so feel free to check those too. Murmur’s
inspiration comes from many genres including House, Techno, Jungle and Indie.
He notes that his work with Remark for Introspection “has been a major step
change for me. I stopped thinking about what I thought an MC would want to hear
and just let things happen. Then when it gets to Remark he just elevated
everything and found pockets I didnt hear. It let me move away from straight 16
bar verse and 8 bar chorus structure to just listening to where I thought the
music should go”.
With all this in mind, you can bet that the depth and
passion of remarks lyrics and this new approach to production from Murmur, is
likely to bring something that will get you thinking. So, join me as I take you
on a trip through Introspection.
I originally had the album some time ago but, it has had a
few slight changes along the way so, I’m truly excited to bring you this deep
dive into the album. It all kicks off with The More We Know. Piano,
guitars and horns all feature on this alongside solid head nod beat. All mixed
together this one has a deep thoughtful vibe. Remark draws on his years of
experience to bring us a track that speaks deeply on the process we go through
in life that allows us to continually grow and understand are authentic selves.
We achieve this through gaining knowledge as we walk life’s journey, and as his
sung chorus explains, the more know, the more we grow, the more we get to know
ourselves. Each of us has a different journey, a different set of experiences,
we grow differently but, we do grow and we will all, one day know who we truly
are. With such a thought-provoking start to the album, you sit back and, for
the most fleeting moment, wonder what’s next? The moment that thought enters
your mind, you are greeted by a short, nerve jingling into for Precautious,
this serves to focus your attention before the beat drops in. Keeping the head
in motion, Murmur hits us with a beat that is underpinned by an almost eerie
guitar sound with a bass guitar floating quietly in the background. This one
raises the energy levels a bit more with a sound that almost seems to set you
on edge. Remark speaks on the current state of affairs in the world today, a
place where you need to be careful of any information that comes at you from an
external source. We live in a society where much of the information you see
around you is censored and filtered in a way that allows what you hear to only
partly truth; this allows the information to be massaged and delivered in a
targeted way to control how you react. The answer is to find something you
enjoy, that speaks to you on a deep level, you can then keep yourself grounded
and cautious of every step forward, and as you take that next step, it takes
you directly into Ear For An Ear. This multi-layered sound has an almost
soundtrack vibe to it that seems to transport you into the shady world of
espionage and psyops, but is that really what its all about? This one speaks on
one thing, the truth. This one comes from Remarks own viewpoint as he takes us
deep into his own psyche. He shows us that we need to silence that part of the
mind that grabs the filtered information from the outside world and runs with
it, whispering the untruths causing a conflict with the heart, which knows its
unsafe to believe everything it hears. The thing is that we all go through this
and there are plenty of us that choose to listen to the monkey mind and not the
heart but, to truly hear, you must listen with the true ear, and that is the
ear connected to your heart.
As you let that sink in on an unconscious level its time to Re-Humanise
as Murmur brings a beat that has a feel that mixes a classic head nod beat with
a sound that has an electro / Trip Hop edge to it. This gets you bouncing while
seemingly feeling those electronic sounds throughout your entire body. This
shorter track has deep message that might well escape you if you are
concentrating on that banging beat. But some of the deepest messages are
delivered in such a way, and here Remark is alluding to how the external
struggles can twist the mind into a place that separates us from human self,
the true self that thinks and feels from the heart. We need to breath, feel the
true force of nature and re-connect with our true human self. Side A (if you
happen to be listening to this on vinyl) comes to a close with Here’s To
Hope. This one has a lighter vibe which comes with the flute notes, which
seem to uplift as you listen, and the beat carries you. That uplifting sound is
mirrored by the message in Remarks words which, in truth, is very simple and
that is to invite and live with hope in your heart. Everyday you hear of
struggles, pain, and suffering, the words of positivity and hope are rarely put
forth, and so it is up to us to look past the darkness and to see and feel the
hope that a brighter day is there. Even if you are only able to hold on to the
smallest thread of that hope, it is still there and by doing that you are
bringing that brighter day closer, every day.
So, if you have the vinyl, its time to flip it over, if you
have the digital, then keep on listening…
Next up is Trickery which mixes guitars and piano
notes, with a heavier drumbeat and more to bring a sound that you can’t help
but close your eye and vibe to as seems to give a glimpse of the brighter day.
That uplifting sound seems almost juxtaposed to the lyrics which speak on how
we are kept living in a state of stress or feeling we are living in sin. Let’s
face it be it organised religion, the media or the powers that be, they all
trick us into living this way to keep us in a state of mind that is easily
controlled. The trick that we can pull in return is to not be taken in by this;
thinking that we are all living in original sin or that governments are working
with our best interests at heart. No god would be vengeful, and no living
person should have to suffer without their basic needs being met so that the
rich get richer. There are a lot of ways to look at this but, the truth is we
should not be taken in by the trickery and no one living on this earth should
suffer at the hands of another. Other Realms has an electronic edge to
the sound, and when taken alongside the drumbeat, there is this other worldly
vibe that seems to come through. This sound fits perfectly with the fact that
this one questions reality and what might be real and what might be something
completely different. Remark also mentions how music is a gift for humanity.
Music is something where you can bring your own personal experiences to bare
or, music can transport you to another reality, perhaps that is a place where
you can fully understand that not all of what you see and feel in the world
around you is all it seems. While you are questioning what is real in the world
around you, music can help you take a step away from this reality, and to go
deep inside yourself to find the truth of who you are. Where does your music
take you…
Midnight On The Wind sees Murmur bringing a beat that
seems to have an etheric quality to it. The beat is multi-layered with
different percussion sounds and, I’m not afraid to say, some elements I can’t
quite pin down but, it gives this sound that does seem to encapsulate the very
nature of the title of the track. Here Remark takes us on a journey that
crosses the veil between this world and the next. A place where angels call
your name, ghosts of the past and future are as real as you and me, and where
visitors from beyond may just cross your path. This is where you can recognise
that whatever your art is, it comes from the place where your heart is, and
that is a place where you can close your eyes, dream, and create anything you
desire, and it’s your home that is right here inside you. The dream world is an
amazing place but, right now you are drawn back to reality with the albums
penultimate track Great Outdoors. Flute notes and electronic sounds give
this track a vibe that goes beyond the beat with an uplifting vibe. The flute
has a native American sound, and this gives the whole track a sound that is
rooted in nature. That nature vibe is something that, for me, seems to permeate
the whole track as we need to understand that the digital age is affecting the
younger generation in a way that takes them away from a connection to the
natural world and perhaps that is all that needs to be said? It is important to
take time away from your devices, your TV, and step outside your front door and
ground yourself, connecting with mother nature in the Great Outdoors. Think
about it, we were born of the earth and will return to the earth but, we need
to remain connected to the earth. The album ends with Far Away, where
that ethnic sound underpins the guitars and the drums to create a sound that
seems to have a Floydian edge to it and feels like it touches your heart
directly. This one is a stunning way to end the album and could be the deepest
track too. It gives you this sobering thought that with all you have been
through to date, you might well find yourself at a crossroads in life, and in
that moment all your goals might seem to be so far away from you, but this is a
metaphorical crossroads, where nothing is as it seems and all those goals are
obtainable, you just need to pick one and walk forward with your head down and
headphones on, cancel out the noise as you walk forward as your authentic self…
What is immediately striking about this album is that
Introspection is all about looking at the self and you mental and emotional
processes, and the album really does such a great job emulating that. Every
track in some way invites you to look at yourself in some way be it directly or
by understanding Remarks own narratives. In fact, there is this little voice
that often says to you ‘well, if Remark can do it, then I can do it too’ and I
think this is something a little different that this album has, its that air of
authenticity and that the narrative is coming from someone who has been there
and done the work on themselves, it makes the album deep on a very conscious
and emotive level.
Remark always a very conscious way of writing that can swing
between differing levels of emotive context from straight up anger at the
establishment to deeply emotive story telling and words that show a true
understanding of what is going on in the world around him. He connects to his
subject matter in a very spiritual way that shows a connection to the self and
nature. With Introspection he takes to a very personal level that allows a
connection to the listener, giving them the invitation to perhaps, look at
themselves in this way too.
Remarks emotive words are made even more poignant by the
production of Murmur. The way he has crafted each track by allowing his
production to flow from working directly with Remarks vocals, adds this depth
to the sound that just matches and, in some cases, seems to actually elevate
the vocals to new hights.
What these two have crafted together is this deeply emotive,
conscious Hip Hop masterpiece, if you will. You might want to call it left
field and that is perfectly fine but, I like to keep it simple and for me, this
is an example of emotive Hip Hop music at its very best. This is the type of
music we all need to hear right now for so many reasons.
It is true that what I have intuited from this is what the
music said to me, it might well say something different to you, and that is
perfectly fine because we are all on our own journeys, and what we have
experienced along the way will colour how we interpret what we hear and feel
from the music.
So, if you have not heard this already, then I highly
recommend that you have a listen and see where each tracks take you. You might
just go somewhere a lot different to where I went. But what you will do is
enjoy every minute of the experience.
My humble thanks to Remark for letting me bring this to you
and to Murmur for Bio which helped me give you a little insight into himself.
Introspective is out now on digital and Vinyl from Elastic
Stage.
I’ll see you next time,
Steve.
LINKS
Get your copy of the vinyl here:
https://elasticstage.com/remarkmurmurvinyl/releases/introspection-album
Get your copy from Bandcamp here:
https://remarkmurmur.bandcamp.com/album/introspection
Remark Socials:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005925346438
https://www.facebook.com/RemarkMcLennan
https://www.instagram.com/remarkmclennan/
Murmur on Insta:
https://www.instagram.com/murmur8000/
