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Alexi Murdoch

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Alexi Murdoch
Murdoch at PopTech 2012 in Reykjavik, Iceland
Background information
Born (1973-12-27) 27 December 1973 (age 50)
London, England
OriginLondon, England
GenresFolk
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • multi-instrumentalist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • drums
  • bass guitar
Years active2002–present
LabelsZero Summer Records, City Slang
Websitealeximurdoch.com

Alexi Murdoch (born 27 December 1973) is a British folk musician and songwriter.[1] Since his debut in 2002, Murdoch has released two LPs and one EP. His music has been featured in numerous television shows and films.

Early life and education

Murdoch was born in London to a Greek father and Louise Cordet, an English singer, and lived in Greece until he was ten, when his family settled in Scotland.[2][3]

Murdoch moved to the United States in 1992 to study at Duke University,[3] before moving to Los Angeles, California to live with his then girlfriend.[2]

Career

He first gained attention when Nic Harcourt began playing his music on KCRW. Despite increased interest, Murdoch largely turned down advances from record labels and continued to release his music independently.[3]

Four Songs

He self-released the EP Four Songs through independent record stores and website CD Baby in November 2002.[3][4] CD Baby sold over 50,000 copies of the release, becoming the site's all-time best-selling record.[5][6]

In 2003, he performed at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference and that year's Sundance Film Festival,[3][7] and, in 2004, at the Hollywood Reporter/Billboard Film & TV Music Conference.[5][8] In 2004, the song "Orange Sky" from the EP also became the most-played song on Philadelphia indie station WXPN.[9][10]

Time Without Consequence

Murdoch's first album, Time Without Consequence, was released on 6 June 2006 on his own label, Zero Summer. As with the EP, Murdoch continued to turn down the record deals he was offered from numerous major labels to maintain creative control. (The record was distributed nationally through Sony BMG.) Time Without Consequence peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.[11]

On 9 June 2006, Murdoch began a 34 city tour in conjunction with the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, with most bookings at independent record stores.[9]

The album became one of the most licensed albums of the decade, receiving placements on dozens of films and television shows:

Towards the Sun

Murdoch's second album, Towards the Sun, was initially released in 2009 in the US by Zero Summer Records. It was later released in the UK and Germany in 2011 by label City Slang.[13][14] The song "Some Day Soon" appeared in a season 1 and a season 4 episode of This Is Us.[15]

Touring

In the spring of 2009, Murdoch embarked on a headlining tour, during which he distributed an early version of a new album entitled Towards the Sun in a limited edition packaged in a hand-printed, cardboard sleeve.[16]

Other bookings by Murdoch include two concerts in Berlin, one small club appearance and a second as part of the City Slang label's 20th anniversary. In February 2011, he performed in New York City as part of Lincoln Center's prestigious "American Songbook Series".[17] Afterwards, he went on a sold-out tour of major markets throughout North America. (i.e. Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Chicago, Minneapolis.) 2011 also saw the official release of his third recording, "Towards The Sun".[18]

Critical reception

Murdoch has been compared to the late British singer-songwriter Nick Drake.[19] His first album Time Without Consequence was met with wide critical praise, gaining him five stars with Alternative Press as well as placing him on Rolling Stone's Top Ten Artists list. His second release Towards the Sun gathered high praise in both the US and Europe. PopMatters, giving the record a 9/10 calls Murdoch's performance "hauntingly beautiful" and "heartbreakingly lovely".[20] Q magazine in the UK gave the record four stars, calling it a "stunning second outing. Anyone who harps on about how the songwriters of today don't match up to those of yesteryear should be directed to this remarkable second record."[citation needed]

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Original Soundtrack albums

References

  1. ^ Elms, Robert (22 April 2011), "BBC London 94.9".
  2. ^ a b c d e Hoard, Christian (21 September 2006), "Alexi Murdoch". Rolling Stone. (1009):24
  3. ^ a b c d e f Wise, Catherine (6 June 2003), "A New Reason To Say No." Entertainment Weekly. (713):78
  4. ^ Langer, Andy (December 2003) "(Derek Sivers)". Esquire. 140 (6):173
  5. ^ a b c d Hay, Carla (6 November 2004), "Director Columbus Shopping 'Underground' Film". Billboard. 116 (45):12–26
  6. ^ Newman, Melinda (10 December 2005), "Rock Hall of Fame Names Class Of '06". Billboard. 117 (50):44
  7. ^ Newman, Melinda (29 March 2003), "The Beat". Billboard. 115 (13):9
  8. ^ (2 November 2004), "Film & TV Music Confab Adds McG To Marquee Speakers". Billboard. 116 (47):14
  9. ^ a b c Newman, Melinda (24 June 2006), "Spread The 'LDN' Love, Please". Billboard. 118 (25):58
  10. ^ "The 'Britney' backlash: Budding songwriter rejects record contract". CNN. 2 December 2003.
  11. ^ Alexi Murdoch. "Alexi Murdoch – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  12. ^ "ALEXI MURDOCH SETS THE TONE FOR AWAY WE GO". Facebook.
  13. ^ a b "Alexi Murdoch – Towards The Sun". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  14. ^ a b William Ruhlmann. "Towards the Sun". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  15. ^ Philiana Ng, This Is Us Every Clue That Should Have Tipped Us Off on What Happened to Jack, ET
  16. ^ "Carry You Away: Concert Review: Alexi Murdoch". Carryyouaway.blogspot.com. 21 April 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  17. ^ "Alexi Murdoch". Alexi Murdoch. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  18. ^ Hilton, Robin (27 February 2011). "First Listen: Alexi Murdoch, 'Towards The Sun'". NPR.org. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  19. ^ "Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence". sputnikmusic.com. 27 October 2010.
  20. ^ Horowitz, Steve. "Alexi Murdoch: Towards the Sun". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
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