We will probably never get a posthumous David Bowie album (nor would we ever want to), but Silver Shade, this new album from the godfather of goth, Peter Murphy, might be the closest we get. For most of his career, Murphy’s voice and range have been compared to Bowie’s, even when he was making music with Bauhaus. He was even slated to do a Bowie tribute tour in late 2024, but cancelled due to illness. So yeah, Murphy is compared to Bowie a lot.
And you can see why when you hear a song like the chorus to the opener “Swoon,” which feels a bit like Bowie’s “TVC15” Station to Station era, only backed by none other than Trent Reznor. “The Artroom Wonder,” also sounds very Bowie with his reverberating falsettos. “Hot Roy,” is probably the most memorable here with its Count Dracula, industrial keyboard solo during the chorus as Murphy does a glam rock pipe of “We’re Moss From The HOLLLOWWW.”
Aside from the Bowie comparison, this new album from Murphy is filled with darkened, synthy dance numbers, with production helmed by The Killing Joke’s Youth. Some of the songs, like fall a bit short, going for more atmosphere than substance, like “Sherpa,” which gets a bit too poppy for my liking. My Peter Murphy is best dark, dark as dried blood. We do get the post-punky title track after, which is so dramatic as Murphy croons “you’ll dive deep in the glitter rivvvverrr,” but again, this is Peter Murphy. He has always had a flair for the dramatic. His voice remains steadfast in his late 60s, switching between vampiric croons and post-punk talk singing, as an evil disco rock takes hold.
This album, upon initial listen, gave me a pretty middling feeling, but after a second listen, I’m digging it more and more. Prior to this, I’ve only heard Deep in his solo work, but even though no one asked or predicted Silver Shade, it’s an album that further solidifies the goth glam guru.
