O'Death - 'Broken Hymns, Limbs And Skins' (City Slang) Released 22/09/08

The third album from the New York based five piece is the perfect antidote to the release of Sex And The City on DVD.  It bludgeons Sarah Jessica Parker’s skull and drags her by her Jimmy Choos into the Hudson River. With a name like O’Death you can pretty much surmise that you’re not going to be getting songs about puppies and butterflies. What you’ll be surprised to discover though is that they manage to pull off a whole album worthy of comparison to ‘Murder Ballads.’
 
Greg Jaime’s vocals take some getting used to they lie somewhere between Chris Griffin off Family Guy and Gordon Gayno. It has a weird distinctive sound that could easily become annoying but works very well with the material at hand with the exception of ‘On An Aching Sea’ where he sings in a lower register and sounds far too much like a Tom Waits wannabe for comfort.
 
At first listen it may seem that there are a lot of Frank Blackism’s around so to speak but this soon melts away – The Pixies influence is there but as the album progresses you become more aware of the group dynamic at play. The co production with Alex Newport (Two Gallants, The Locust) emphasises this chaotic sense of kinship.
 
The use of banjo, fiddle and ukulele may scream country but the heart of the sound is something altogether far more macabre.  Some albums are just a way to pass the time as we go about our lives ‘Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skins’ does that rare thing and takes us on a journey. It’s not always be pleasant but it’s nearly always compelling.
 
The clever use of strings propels you into a world rank with seediness and even the quieter moments like ‘Home’ and the fragile ballad ‘Angeline’ manage to be an experience rather than just a story. ‘Fire On Peshtigo’ takes the event of 1871 and turns it into something Nick Cave could have dreamt up .When Jamie sings about the smell of charring flesh and  ‘Stepping on the neighbour that I once had seen as friend’ there’s a very real sense of empathy and out and out panic.
 
O’Death have a rich and intoxicating sound which fills the listener to the marrow. ‘Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin’ is far from perfect but a world away from being ordinary. If hell is this good then let the sinning commence.