JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW - EARLY IN THE MORNING
McMorrow`s stunningly beautiful debut album was recorded in 5 months in an isolated house by the ocean, which drew comparisons to Justin "Bon Iver" Vernon (who recorded For Emma in a cabin in the Wisconsin woods). McMorrow is arguably the better singer, with a softer falsetto and less processed, more traditional vocal. What he has produced is the debut of the year.
From the beautiful, spectral "If I had a Boat" where McMorrow`s accapella vocal gives way to a ghostly slide guitar and gentle melody to the Joni Mitchell-tinged "This Old Dark Machine" to the heartbreaking "Follow You Down to the Red Oak Tree", McMorrow creates an landscape of hope, despair, love, loss and honesty.
The second half of Early in the Morning is definately darker, as McMorrow draws on the imagery of Roald Dahl, John Steinbeck and F.Scott Fitzgerald that culminates in "Down the Burning Ropes" (a song that conjures the image of the deceased Jeff Buckley, in McMorrow`s delivery and melody) and "From the Woods!!" (that starts out as a beautiful acoustic ballad before morphing into McMorrow pleading and warning us in hushed hysterics "From the Woods! From the Woods! They are Coming from the Woods!").
This album does have a personal element to me, which is another reason why it ranks so highly on this list. It was the soundtrack of those dark, stress-riddled, uncertain days after the Earthquake/Tsunami/Nuclear crisis trioka and kept my internal self from dropping into darkness.
Do yourself a massive favour and discover the beauty of this record.
DOWNLOAD - IF I HAD A BOAT, WE DON`T EAT, THIS OLD DARK MACHINE, FOLLOW YOU DOWN TO THE RED OAK TREE, FROM THE WOODS!!
No comments:
Post a Comment