Members of Boston-based Morphine play their own distinct kind of music, called "Low Rock," and they continue this trademarked technique in their latest effort, "Like Swimming."
As a band, Morphine consists of only three instruments: a two-string slide bass, a baritone saxophone and a drum set. Although they do not incorporate a guitar into their lineup, Morphine's sound remains very full and rich.
"It seems like there has been so much guitar for years and years now that if you play rock music without a guitar, it seems somehow that the guitar is still there," said Mark Sandman, vocalist and bass player for Morphine. "It's what we called implied."
The slippery smooth sound of the slide bass and deep rumbling of the baritone saxophone more than fill in for the guitar. Dana Colley's sax fills in the melodies while Sandman lays down a provocative bass line.
"Dana plays sax very guitaristically," Sandman said.
The combination of the achingly deep bass and sax with Sandman's husky, strained baritone voice make for songs that are deep, dark and menacing with out ever exploding into hysteria or revealing everything.
Drummer Billy Conway's soft, even jazz rhythms give most of the songs a strong shot of sexual tension.
Morphine has a very subdued sound that nonetheless packs a dark menace which listeners can taste as soon as they start the album.
Their newest effort, "Like Swimming," builds on the sound of their previous albums, "Good," "Cure for Pain" and "Yes." There is no major departure from the thematic content of these earlier albums, in terms of the music and the lyrical composition.
Morphine's tried-and-true sound still remains interesting. While there is some filler in "Like Swimming," the album proves the band is still hard at work defining and sculpting the sound of Low Rock.
"Like Swimming" is an apt title for the Boston trio's latest release. The music on the album has a murky, slow feel, as if played under water at half speed.
One of the best tunes on the album, "I Know You (Pt. III)," deals with a frustrating relationship with a lover. "Give me a kiss hello good-bye. What's the difference? You just end everything you say with a smile," Sandman sings.
An equally good track is "Early to Bed," about urban night life. The lyrics of "Early to Bed" are easily the cleverest on the album. Sandman sings them in a an emotionally flat tone, leaving the listener to judge his words objectively.
But the sharp lyrics of "Early to Bed" are by no means found in the majority of Morphine songs. Most tunes are about sex and women, subjects that rockers bludgeoned to death long ago.
However, "Like Swimming" shows Sandman's willingness to crawl out of his shell and write interesting song lyrics. The title track on "Like Swimming" features clever lyrics -- which Sandman will hopefully create more often in the future -- as does "Early to Bed."
Unfortunately, as in other Morphine albums, some of the tracks on "Like Swimming" are filler material. These tunes, such as "Eleven O'clock," are few and far between, and the good tracks compensate for the filler.
Considered as a whole, "Like Swimming" is far from perfect, butMorphine is clearly moving ahead with their distinct sound, and still coming up with interesting music.
