Petr & the Wulf
2010 studio album by Munly & The Lupercalians
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Petr & The Wulf is the debut studio album by Munly & The Lupercalians, a side project founded by musician Jay Munly around 2007. A concept album, it is a loose adaptation of Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev.
| Petr & The Wulf | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art for Petr & The Wulf | ||||
| Studio album by Munly & The Lupercalians | ||||
| Released | Aug. 2010 (CD); Oct. 2010 (LP) | |||
| Studio | Absinthe Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:45 (CD); 46:45 (LP) | |||
| Label | Alternative Tentacles | |||
| Producer | Bob Ferbrache | |||
| Munly & The Lupercalians chronology | ||||
| ||||
It was released on compact disc on August 31, 2010[2][a] and on vinyl on October 5, 2010[3] through the record label Alternative Tentacles.[4][5]
Composition
Adaptation
The album is a mythicized retelling of the original 1936 composition, told from different characters' perspectives: the boy ("Petr"), his grandfather ("Grandfater"), the hunters ("Three Wise Hunters"), and the animals: "Cat", "Bird", "Duk", and "Wulf".[5] "Scarewulf" serves as a synopsis, or introduction, to the album's story. It is believed that Munly chose the Russian spelling of the track titles in homage to Prokofiev's original story.
As told to Sad Wave, a Russian publication, Munly has been fascinated with the story ever since he was a child:
“This story - both music and the plot - sunk into my soul as a child, after the [Disney] cartoon that we were shown in elementary school. I think she greatly influenced me. And I wanted to make my version of this story - the true version."[6]
Similarly, the press release informs the listener that "'Petr & The Wulf' is the correct telling of a story about which most have been woefully misinformed."[5]
The Kinnery of Lupercalia
Ultimately, it is a prequel to the stories of his invented world, Lupercalia, told over a span of four albums.[7] The goal is to produce a multi-album epic titled 'The Kinnery of Lupercalia', which is all about the town and its colorful residents. Its residents have been described as "families who interact with each other"[8] and Lupercalia as an "imagined community of Legions & clans where we are not sure who is a deity and who is not."[9] A "Pre-History of Lupercalia"[10] was originally posted on the band's MySpace page as a blog post, but the page itself has been deleted.
Recording and production
Packaging and release
CD & LP editions
The Alternative Tentacles category number is VIRUS 421.[4][5]
The vinyl album was originally pressed by Rainbo Records. The matrix/runout numbers are S-73499 VIRUS-421-A and S-73500 VIRUS-421-B.[12] The vinyl edition of the album included special artwork and a "Pre-History of Lupercalia."[13]
The album was re-released through the band's own independent record label, SCAC Unincorporated, around 2015.[14][b]
Lyric booklet
In October 2019, band members Munly and Rebecca Vera collaborated with Devil's Jump Press to produce limited-edition lyric booklets for the album. The lyrics were handwritten by Munly with artwork crafted by Vera. A "Pre-History of Lupercalia" was also included.[15] Only 32 copies were printed and distributed in total.[9]
Other appearances
The song "Grandfater" was featured on the Smooch Records compilation album Radio 1190: Local Shakedown, Vol. 3 (2009) and on Rodentagogue: The Best of Dark Roots Music Volume II, released by Devil's Ruin Music in 2010.[16]
Critical reception
Reviews of the album were mixed.
Taipei Times' Taylor Briere praised the lyrics and instrumentation, giving the album a "deranged, circus-like feel and many wonderful musical moments".[17]
Embo Blake of Hybrid Magazine called the music "weirdly irreverent" and compared the tone to that of the "dark and twisted" 2006 animated Peter & the Wolf film.[18]
Maarten Schiethart of Penny Black Music, based in the UK, describes Munly as a "keen innovator" and the album full of "great ideas," although the backing band overshadowed the vocals.[19]
The A.V. Club gave the album a B− rating. Matt Schild wrote that the album works on "an intellectual level" but found it "too easy to get tangled up in the narrative" and called the arrangements "overwhelmingly dismal".[1]
Michael Cimaomo of the Valley Advocate echoed The A.V. Club, stating that the album overall is a "curious yet entrancing experience" but the lyrics are "overly verbose."[20]
Writing for AllMusic, Ned Raggett gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, praising it as "an engaging, theatrical presentation that balances out haunted shadows with nervous energy", and wrote that the album sounded like it "really could soundtrack something spectacular."[21]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Munly J. Munly.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scarewulf" | 5:02 |
| 2. | "Petr" | 4:37 |
| 3. | "Grandfater" | 5:37 |
| 4. | "Bird" | 5:05 |
| 5. | "Cat" | 6:33 |
| 6. | "Duk" | 4:18 |
| 7. | "Three Wise Hunters" | 8:18 |
| 8. | "Wulf" | 8:11 |
| Total length: | 47:45 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scarewulf" | 5:02 |
| 2. | "Petr" | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Grandfater" | 5:38 |
| 4. | "Three Wise Hunters" | 8:18 |
| Total length: | 22:36 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bird" | 5:05 |
| 2. | "Cat" | 6:34 |
| 3. | "Duk" | 4:19 |
| 4. | "Wulf" | 8:11 |
| Total length: | 24:09 | |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[22]
Band members
- Munly J. Munly - vocals, banjo, lyrics
- Daniel "Danny Pants" Grandbois - keyboards
- Chad "Chadzilla" Johnson - drums, percussion
- Todd "The Peeler" Moore - drums, percussion
- Rebecca Vera - cello, keyboards
Production
- Robert Ferbrache - engineer