If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Guadalcanal Diary’s Murray Attaway, here’s your answer. More than three decades after his major-label solo debut, In Thrall, the idiosyncratic leader of one of post-punk’s most cerebral and misunderstood bands has officially resurfaced with Tense Music Plays (Moon Ray Sound), available on May 9.
Still living in his native city of Atlanta, Attaway finally decided to get serious about a recent two-year spate of songwriting, tracking everything in his home studio. Robert Schmid (Swimming Pool Qs) played drums and bass on a few tracks, and Attaway handled just about everything else himself. He enlisted veteran producer/engineer Mark Williams (Southern Culture On The Skids, Pat DiNizio) for the finishing touches.
While parts of Tense Music Plays have a majestic jangle that would’ve been at home on any of Guadalcanal Diary’s classic ’80s LPs, “Stars Behind The Moon” sounds like a holdover from another era—a somber acoustic fable punctuated by Ana Balka’s aching violin.
“It’s inspired by the myth of ‘magical’ Delta blues players,” says Attaway. “That stunning music was born of poverty, violence and liquor in juke houses. The ignorance of academic ‘saviors’ clouds its glory.”
We’re proud to premiere Murray Attaway’s “Stars Behind The Moon.”
—Hobart Rowland
