Sequins 1

Sequins 1 is a limited edition extended play by Irish singer Róisín Murphy. It was released by Echo Records on 12-inch vinyl in January 2005.^[1]

Sequins 1
EP by Róisín Murphy
Released	10 January 2005 (2005-01-10)
Studio	The Dairy (London)
Genre	Pop, alternative dance, avant-pop, nu jazz, glitch
Label	Echo (ECSY #158)
Producer	Matthew Herbert, Róisín Murphy
Róisín Murphy chronology
Sequins 1 (2005) Sequins 2 (2005)

Songs

The opening track uses overdriven guitar parts and layers of overdubbed vocals.^[2] Its lyrics caution a woman who has become out of control and its title was chosen to contrast feelings of passion and melancholy.^[3] "Off on It", a more experimental song with an unsteady rhythm,^[4] precedes Night of the Dancing Flame", which combines synthesizers with 1920s jazz.^[5] It is written in waltz time^[3] and was compared to Stevie Wonder's work during his peak.^[6] The extended play closes with "Through Time", which opens with noises such as rustling and coughing,^[5] and then proceeds into a ballad that was compared to those by Carole King.^[7]

Cover artwork

The cover of Sequins 1 was painted by Simon Henwood. Murphy met Henwood in a pub, and Henwood, who was known for his simplified paintings of teenagers, thought that she would be a good subject for a painting.^[6][8] Henwood came to Murphy's house the next week and, while they were looking through her wardrobe, decided to have her dressed in sequins.^[6] Murphy positioned her body in abstract shapes for Henwood to paint.^[8] She developed a character, which Henwood described as a "disco electro pop diva with a 1940s look".^[9] His canvases were displayed at The Hospital in Victoria, London,^[10] and Murphy purchased them "for [her] kids so they can see what [she] once looked like."^[8]

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Róisín Murphy and Matthew Herbert.

1. "Ruby Blue" – 2:48
2. "Off on It" – 5:22
3. "Night of the Dancing Flame" – 3:26
4. "Through Time" – 5:58

Personnel

The following people contributed to Sequins 1:^[11]

• Róisín Murphy – vocals, production
• Matthew Herbert – guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, production
• Dave O'Higgins – saxophone
• Trevor Mires – trombone
• Pete Wraight – trumpet
• Max De Wardener – bass
• Phil Parnell – keyboards
• Geoff Smith – percussion
• Simon Henwood – art direction
• Steffan Macmillan – design