Album Review: Count Vaseline, Yo No Soy Marinero

On the rather apt date of Friday the 13th May, Irish monsters of rock the Mighty Stef were officially killed off. That wasn’t the end of main man Stefan Murphy’s tale though. Far from it, in fact. Soon after his band split, the prolific musician re-emerged with a suitably ghoulish moniker and a fistful of new songs, in the form Yo No Soy Marinero. The first installment in an intended trilogy, the opus is packed full of weird and wonderful ideas. It’s an interesting, often thrilling snapshot of one of the country’s most creative tunesmiths.

Peppered with pop culture samples and references ranging from Dr Evil to Reeves and Mortimer, the 12 track release is at its most affecting when Murphy is at his rawest, both sonically and musically. Packed with Phil Spector drum-snaps and Joey Ramone-indebted vocal yelps, the ballad (and ode to his daughter) ‘Olive’ is simply stunning, while the moody, goth-flecked ‘North Circular Road’ and ‘Divebombing’ are also huge highlights. Listen up.