Those who heard the debut Kill Murray EP ‘A Drug to Shake You Up’ will have recognised the variety of styles it displays. The record is at times reminiscent of Showbiz-era Muse, and vintage Queens of the Stone Age, and at others captures the modern indie sensibilities of the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Bombay Bicycle Club. This is no doubt because of the different musical backgrounds of the band members, whose previous projects include Dial F for Frankenstein, 50ft Panda and Phantom Theory. The track that perhaps brings these styles together most successfully is ‘Laser’. On the EP, it represents the band breaking free from the restrictions of their past outfits, but using what they have learnt to create a style that is distinctly their own. It is a song that can incorporate the mixture of different tastes that clearly exist within Kill Murray.
As the song is versatile enough to be taken down various musical avenues, it is the ideal choice for this remix from Unpunished Monsters. The influence of the electro funk artists here is vast, giving the song a completely different attitude to the original. We’ve all heard alternative versions where a song has been lazily glossed over with a lick of reverb or distorted vocal, but this certainly isn’t one of them. The energetic rhythm of the original verses has been replaced with a keyboard and drum machine combination that creates a more mellow, almost eerie feel. It’s the kind of experimentation that brings to mind Thom Yorke’s The Eraser, and it works. In the choruses, the electronic sound grows thicker and more potent, but manages to retain a sinister aspect that does ‘Laser’ a great deal of justice.
Perhaps the main reason for the successful transformation of the track is in the understanding of what should be kept and/or altered from the original recording. Gus Roger’s vocals are noticeably more sedate in this version, which fits well with the gentle melancholy of the verses. There are also harmonies that work better here than they would have done in the more lively soundscape of the original.
Although it may be unlikely that these two artists will work together on something more substantial, the track is a testament to the developing skills of both. It shows that Kill Murray are beginning to write songs that can flourish outside of their usual framework, and that Unpunished Monsters can take a track and give it a new and interesting dimension. At a mere 4 minutes 13 seconds, it’s definitely worth a listen.
Download the track from the Unpunished Monsters website.