''Crooked Machine'' is a

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...

by Irish singer

Róisín Murphy Róisín Marie Murphy ( , ; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer, songwriter and record producer who first became known in the 1990s as one half of the Pop music, pop duo Moloko alongside the English musician Mark Brydon. After the breakup of M ...

, released 30 April 2021 by

Skint Records Skint Records is a Brighton and Hove based dance music record label owned by JC Reid, Tim Jeffery and Damian Harris. It was created as a sublabel of Loaded Records, also founded by Reid and Jeffery. Along with Wall of Sound, the label was a ...

. It consists of

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

es of songs from her 2020 studio album '' Róisín Machine''.

Background

''Crooked Machine'' features nine remixes of songs from ''Róisín Machine'', created by Murphy's frequent collaborator, Crooked Man (also known as DJ Parrot or Richard Barratt). About their partnership and the remix album, Murphy stated

Parrot doesn't try to be 'cool', I reckon that's the last thing on his mind. He makes music with a real sense of responsibility to the craft. He just cannot make rubbish music, he’d be too ashamed. So everything he is and everything he has learned, is put into everything he does. I think ''Crooked Machine'' is one of his greatest achievements so far. I left him and Fat Dave to their own devices on this and they have outdone themselves! I absolutely love it!! I think I prefer it to the original album, slightly less me and all the more 'cool' for it!

The remix album's sound, according to a press release is as "If ''Róisín Machine'' was the big night out…this is the afterparty where things get darker and more twisted".

Release

The album was first released digitally on 30 April 2021, with a vinyl release on 12 June for Record Store Day 2021.

Critical reception

Shaad D'Souza of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' gave ''Crooked Machine'' a 7.7 score, commending it for "present nga new embodiment of the ''Róisín Machine''

ethos ''Ethos'' is a Greek word meaning 'character' that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology; and the balance between caution and passion. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the ...

- a testament to the transformative power of the dancefloor, redone in shades of

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

and

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

altogether darker and a touch more modern than its predecessor", also praising Barratt's reworkings for "highlight ngthe durability and versatility of Murphy's art - placing her in contexts both more modern and more abstract, and still letting her come out on top".

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

*
''Crooked Machine'' – official stream
at

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{{Authority control 2021 remix albums BMG Rights Management albums Róisín Murphy albums House music albums by Irish artists Techno albums by Irish artists Skint Records albums