Song of the Week

A couple of years ago, The D Man and Stewboy helped Chad Murphy (legally) transition out of his stake in the local label, Exumbrella Records, where the likes of TaughtMe have found a home. Chad was heading to graduate school then, and he has since attended the University of Chicago and Penn State, presumably in the realm of creative writing. As anyone that knows him will tell you, Chad is a micro-culture renaissance man of sorts, as he has fronted bands (check out Electoral College), supported local music, painted with oils, and generated all-around good vibes.

So it is with real pleasure that The D Man shares Chad's most recent musical project. Under the moniker Markarians (so cosmic and deep!), he has released an excellent five-song EP titled Ten Means Heaven. Chad wrote, recorded, mixed, and mastered everything himself. His dreamy DIY sound is riddled with laid-back galactic energy, a sweet amalgamation of soft-psychedelia, acoustic strums, and bedroom thoughtfulness. The D Man recognizes the faintest sonic trace of Kurt Vile's ambling guitar passions, but Chad's lyrical dexterity surpasses even those comparisons.

Check out the quirky video for "Strangers II." The D Man can only guess at the genesis of the footage, but I would venture that Chad made the best use of his environment during a Murphy family getaway. The bathrobes, hot tubs, and trailways are populated by Chad and his seriously ripped brothers. (Some of his siblings play collegiate and professional football). Even Chad's father (and two-time National League MVP!) makes a cameo at the end of the song. Good vibes, indeed.

In an email to a friend, Chad described Ten Means Heaven as follows:

This is an album interested in exploring the miraculousness of life, the origin of our species, and the nutritional content of breakfast cereals. The intent was to balance weighty, deadly serious themes with the absurd, everyday questions and concerns that consume our lives. Hopefully this combination of seriousness and absurdity can offer some sort of new perspective on the totally amazing and hilarious premise underlying each of Life's Big Questions, as well as on the significance of the seemingly trivial aspects of our day-to-day lives.

In the end, though, it's just songs.

You can download Ten Means Heaven for free. The D Man highly recommends doing so--the final minute of the awesome "Rip Through Sunsets" is worth your hard-earned cash, and Chad is nice (or crazy) enough to give it away.