They come from Aberystwyth and they’re named after one of Al Capone’s henchmen. Does this make them part of the Taffia? Shall we just get on with the music?

Then again, Murry The Hump frontman Matthew Evans, seven foot tall Jarvis Cocker lookalike in an Andy Warhol wig, would probably approve of such toe-curling humour. It’s all part of that strange world he lives in, and that informs Murry The Hump’s music: the lyrical introspection of the outsider, the epic claustrophobia of Radiohead, and the skewed folk whimsy of Super Furry Animals. Oh, and you could add to that the pop nous of The Boo Radleys and Syd Barrett. Or maybe you could just make up your own psychedelic culinary combinations. And then eat them all up, because "Thrown Like A Stone", MTH’s second single, is starter, main course and pudding in the pop stakes. You want cheese and biscuits and after-dinner mints too? Try the delicately wired b-side, "Don’t Slip Up", then. Vocal acrobatics to make grown men weep!

You may already have heard of Murry The Hump. Their debut single on Blue Dog Records last year, "Green Green Grass Of Home" (no, not that one) attracted a small but enthusiastic response – Simon Williams in the NME wrote: `…pop sparks really begin to fly and the band reveal the sort of glamour, style and chewy tunes which are far more suited to Metropolis-hued pop feverdom than any Aberystwith-based anonimity.’ Ben Myers in the Melody Maker, commented: `Imagine the jumbled genius of "Colouring Book", the frantic, fucked fumble of "Men In A Mac". Imagine a new band who actually sound new’.

An appearance at 1998’s In The City cemented their reputation, and then Blur went and credited them with being the best unsigned band in Britain. And, hey, who are we to disagree with that? Nobody, that’s who.

And so we presented to you this small musical gift, a tidy sliver of perfectly skewed pop, and invite you to throw yourself into its arms. "It’s an offer you can’t refuse", someone might have said. NME couldn't; they gave it Single of the Week. The band have since gone on to release their own single and record a session for John Peel. Thrown like a stone was also voted # 9 in the Festive Fifty of 1999.

 

© 2007 Shifty Disco, Web stuff by OMN