Kevin Morby
City Music
[Dead Oceans]
Indie-folk musician Kevin Morby left no time for the dust to settle, releasing his fourth solo studio album City Music, a year after its widely acclaimed predecessor, Singing Saw. His latest offering continues to combine exuberant melodies with lyrics capturing the mundanities of everyday life.
The songwriter ventures sonically within perimeters explored previously. However, he does so without restricting his own capacity to wander. The album’s titular track is a prime example of moments where one can easily get lost within a world of Morby’s making.
Recorded with his touring backing band, another dimension is added to the tonal depth of the tracks. Veteran producer, Richard Swift honed Morby’s musical sensibilities with haunting synth lines (Come to Me Now) and overtly catchy hooks (Tin Can). Included amongst the twelve tracks is Flannery, a forty second excerpt from American gothic writer Flannery O’Connor’s 1960 novel entitled The Violent Bear It Away, featuring the story of a fourteen year old boy trying to escape his destiny and move closer to the city lights.
Morby has built a cult following from his early days playing with Woods and The Babies, however it’s his solo work that has garnered the most fruitful praise. City Music is instantly enjoyable and immensely easy record to listen to. It is inviting and very much in keeping with his contemporaries, Kurt Vile and Cass McCombs.
Like this? Try These:
Timber Timbre – Yours Sincerely, Future Pollution
Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo
Cass McCombs – Mangy Love
Words – Zara Hedderman
