{moszoomthumb imgid=797 itemid=74 style_m=2}by Murkádee

Epping often gets a bad rap. With its mega Wal-Mart blotting out the skyline and its resident killer Sheila LaBarre stealing the headlines, it’s easy to overlook the town’s more positive qualities. Among the positives Epping has produced are the indie pop rockers of Murkádee. This quirky quintet has serious Epping pride, and they’ve anthologized their hometown with their third full-length release, “Eppology.”

Guitarist and keyboardist Joseph K Murphy and clarinetist DeLaine Bennett combine their distinctive and earnest vocals to mold the Murkádee sound. The pair began recording together in 2003, releasing “Chain Jing Mines” and later following up with “A Spectral View.” The new disc perpetuates the band’s totally unique, candy-coated sound with jubilant songwriting and bouncy, rhyming lyrics.

Joining the core duo is Murkádee’s live entourage, consisting of The Attic Bat on drums, Jon Briggs on bass and Steve Dunleavy on saxophone. The album starts off with an engaging bang on “14 Steps,” which begins with a soft piano melody that quickly explodes into a guitar and keyboard driven burst of euphoria.

Then come the snappy, harmonized vocals of Murphy and Bennett, both of whom sing with a child-like lilt that is at times endearing and at others a tad annoying. Murphy’s voice is a couple decibels louder than Bennett’s, and he seems to waver around the song’s key, staying close to the tune but often landing a bit off-kilter.  

All 14 tracks are catchy and pleasantly poppy, at times using sci-fi keyboard sounds to achieve an experimental edge. The lyrics are almost always delivered in rapid, upbeat rhymes, creating quick bits of wordplay that deal with the everyday grapplings of Seacoast life.

“Good morning day, I can’t handle you this way, and darling will love me so. I’m waiting for love to let go,” the two sing on “Love Me So.”

A highlight comes with “Crowd,” which has an irresistible beat that captures and encapsulates the Murkádee brand of indie, crossbreeding neighborhood favorites like Rustic Overtones and Dan Blakeslee (who provided the CD’s cover art) with a flavor that is distinctly Epping. The resulting sound is tricky to put your finger on but belongs exclusively to Murkádee.

With help from local Internet impresario John Herman, Murkádee released its new disc with a live Web performance on June 4. The music is now available on iTunes. For a sampling of Murkádee’s home-baked musical artistry, check out the Freedom Rocks! festival at Portsmouth’s Prescott Park on Saturday, July 5, when the band will join three other acts, beginning at noon.