Joshua Morrison at Home

Washington native Joshua Morrison doesn’t have the typical background you might imagine for a singer-songwriter who’s on the verge of making his mark in music. An Iraq war veteran, and still serving in the U.S. Army, Joshua is a young and contemplative musician whose time overseas has shaped his musical output. Eloquent and sincere, seductive and sultry, Morrison’s wispy, soft-spoken vocals and catchy acoustic melodies melt your heart. His full-length debut, Home, is one of the most refreshing albums I’ve heard since its 2007 release. It’s a collection of compassionate diary entries that expose elements of loneliness, solitude, longing and love. His brooding and soulful lyrics are reflective of a man worn down from his displacement abroad and, perhaps, from having no choice but to await freedom and the far-reaching hope of returning ‘home’.

Luckily, home is exactly where Morrison was last Thursday night, if only for a brief stint between his transfer from North Carolina to Kentucky. His presence on stage at the Tractor Tavern contained a grateful and inspired energy. He spoke to the audience between songs and had a giddy enthusiasm and appreciation for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. When he broke into Madness’ ‘when I see your face, it gives me hope’, he seemed to have renewed hope and patience for his inevitable, yet distant, return home. Morrison confesses that he yearns for the day when he’ll return to Seattle for good, most likely in a couple of years’ time. And it’s hard not to root for him, since he’s such a gracious and likeable guy.

Given the lonely, personal and soul-searching nature of Morrison’s songwriting, one would expect him to be quiet and introverted. The truth is, he has a jovial, energetic and down-to-earth nature, and he enthusiastically addressed friends and fans who approached him throughout the evening. A sturdy man in his mid-twenties, one might mistake him for a football player, not a singer-songwriter.

Morrison’s performance at the Tractor Tavern was endearing and enchanting. He was accompanied on-stage by a cellist, bassist and drummer, all of whom were just as smooth and magnetic as he was. Together, they gracefully launched his gentle songs forward. Only a quieter audience and perhaps better sound pickup of Morrison’s whispery vocals would have made the performance perfect.

Morrison plays at Sasquatch Festival on Saturday, May 24th at 3:15 PM. His debut album, Home, is available at your local record store or by clicking here.

A Deeper Dive into Cloud Cult

About 6 months ago I was listening to a mix cd my friend had made. I had no artist or track information at the time, and remember being stuck on the 8th song, a catchy, upbeat and down right rocking track. Who are these guys, I wondered, singing along to this ‘Cannonballs Collide’ song? A couple of days later, band and track list in hand, and humbling correction that it is actually ‘Chemicals’ Collide, (duh), I am officially introduced to Cloud Cult. I loaded their 2007 release The Meaning of 8 onto my ipod and became instantly dazzled and infatuated by this band. I hadn’t heard anything like them before, lyrically or sonically, and I was hungry to get my hands on more.

Turns out I am a late-bloomer to these guys. They’ve been around for roughly 10 years, and have 7 albums out at this point, the most recent, Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying through Tornadoes) of which is being released tomorrow. I have not yet had the chance to meander my way through their entire collection, but from the 5 albums I have (They Live on the Sun, 2003; Aurora Borealis, 2004; Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus, 2005; the Meaning of 8, 2007, and the most recent, Feel Good Ghosts), there’s clearly something that sets this band apart from the norm, and which is so curiously engaging, powerful and addictive. I am just as excited for their 2008 release as I am to go back in time and uncover each of their previous albums in addition to those I already have. Here’s my attempt to analyze and summarize Cloud Cult, as well as provide a sample ‘feel’ for this band by means of reviewing two of their albums, The Meaning of 8, and They Live on the Sun.

HELLO TOKYO – Sell The Stars

I receive Hello Tokyo’s disc in the mail and pop it in. Don’t even look at the bio sheet and at once I hear Gwen Stefani-esque vocals reaching past a loud and dense backdrop of catchy keys, guitar riffs, and heavy drum and bass on the first track ‘Alert the Authority’. I’m paying attention, I like this song. A few more songs pass, I am listening. I reach track 4, ‘Steady the Gun’, which causes me to raise my head again. At this point, Kat (lead singer/songwriter) has evolved well past Stefani influences, into a sweet, yet edgy, voice of her own.

Hello Tokyo is a rock-indie-electro-power-pop group with appeal. Kat Kihler, appropriately, has a killer voice. It’s captivating and versatile, ranging from sweet to blunt to flat back up to sweet– striking various moods on queue.

The vocals are backed by an equally powerful sound of intense and poppy hooks. Think of Metric, and perhaps a hint of Sleater-Kinney. All three band members (Kat, John on guitar/bass, and Sam on drums) collectively shine in the production of Hello Tokyo. Guitar, bass, kit, keys and vocals combine in a way that, if one were to strip any one of the band members, you’d feel as if you’d lose the entire essence of their sound. They collectively produce a fine balance of sonic stimulation, each cumulatively propelling one another’s sound, a solid attestation of a good musical team. The guitars are simple and captivating at times, yet heavy and dense at others, hooks entering and exiting at all the right moments, and continually surprising me when I least expect it. The drummer rips a powerful beat and rhythmic edge, contributing to the intensity of the band’s sound and holding it all together.

Hello Tokyo is pleasurably catchy. Upon first listen, I found myself for the most part happy, though at times slightly unsatisfied, impatiently awaiting the next song with hope of a surprise similar to which I felt when I initially loaded the disc. However, the more and more I tune in – which is becoming an effortless process as I return to this album again and again – I find myself pleasantly absorbed by the many diversions and different directions many songs veer, which have a way of calming this sense of impatience and holding me captivated throughout the entire length of the album. Hello Tokyo’s ‘Sell the Stars’ delivers.

Top tracks: Alert the Authority, Run To You, Hands to Hold, and Your Majesty.

Hello Tokyo plan on a west-coast tour in the near future, we’ll keep you posted.

Check out the Alert the Authority Video

Joshua Morrison at Tractor Tavern

9:00 with The Lovely Sparrows, Debonair

Monroe native and singer/songwriter Joshua Morrison is returning to Washington for a show at the Tractor. Morrison released his first full-length album, Home, a beautifully mellow and soulful album, in 2007. He will also be playing at Sasquatch Festival on Saturday, May 24th.

Have a listen to the live performance recorded for KEXP here

http://www.jmorrisonmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/joshuamorrison

Only As Long As The Day – Another Beautiful Release from Sera Cahoone

Sera Cahoone has produced a lot of buzz in this city and outside, and for good reason – she’s a marvel. An artist you’re bound to carry forward as a classic favorite. Her music is timeless, and will be as appreciated twenty years down the road as it is today. Hers is sweet melody and melancholy, folk and country intertwined. The kind of music that is lovely and quaint, and at times bittersweet. There’s a hint of sorrow that looms throughout many of her songs, and if she weren’t backed by such a gregarious and upbeat group of musicians on stage – who all jive so very well together – one would draw a certain loneliness from her music.

I recently saw Cahoone and band perform a stunning show opening for equally fantastic Grand Archives at Triple Door. Tomorrow, she’ll perform at Easy Street Records to promote the release of her new album, Only As Long As the Day, her sophomore release, though first release on Subpop (I still haven’t figured out how her first album managed to slip through the cracks and go self-released). The Triple Door performance was powerful, though I hold dear the fact we Seattleites have an opportunity to see Cahoone up close, solo(?) in such an intimate and interactive setting tomorrow evening. She’s one of the great local artists/bands redefining Seattle’s sound(s) and contributing to another epic era of Seattle music that’s on the verge of exploding already.

Her new album is rich in various string as well as soft country twang. The banjo and pedal steel are beautiful value-add to an already gorgeous and fluid sound Cahoone resonates on her own. The album sets the listener into a relaxed, though at times unsettled (her lyrics have an ability to set one off guard), state of calm and contemplation. There is depth in her lyrics that unleash self-reflection and sorrow. She is practical and direct with words, and her songwriting provides a glimpse into an introspective and philosophical soul. Her voice is beautiful, gentle, smooth, and as natural as the color green in the Pacific Northwest. Her songs often reach sad story and heartbreak territory, and judging by her lyrics, one gathers she has broken a few hearts along her way.

All in all, her second release provides another (in addition to her first) harmonious coordination of acoustics, melody, and rhythm that produce a fresh and colorful sound. Here is an artist one is bound to gravitate and hold on to. We all know the kind.

Sera Cahoone – Only As Long As The Day is out March 18th. She will be performing at Easy Street Records free at 7pm the same day. Her CD release is on March 29th at the Tractor Tavern.

Sera Cahoone’s abbreviated history:
• Played drums for Seattle band Carissa’s Wierd from 1995 to 2003
• Sera contributed on drums to Band of Horses debut album (which was formed by Ben Bridwell who was also in Carissa’s Wierd)

More Seattle Music – Tiny Vipers

Jesy Fortino goes by band name Tiny Vipers, a unique and curious name to match an equally unique and curious sound. Watching Tiny Vipers at Triple Door last night, who is older (24ish) than she appears – but clearly wise beyond her years – was a pretty unique experience. OK, I’m done with the word unique already (almost). But you’d have to see her to get it. Her music, is, well, difficult to classify (aka unique). It’s intense, beautiful, folk, acoustic, moody, deep, dark, thoughtful, deliberate, intense, and soft all the same. Her voice is beautiful and rich, folky and difficult to pinpoint. Which is exactly what she is as an artist – difficult to fully grasp, difficult to pinpoint. Her guitar-picking may sound simple and bare, but it’s really much more deliberate and complex if you properly tune in. She also has perfect ‘pitch’, a very rare talent at that. She’ll properly draw you in, engage you without doubt. Her lyrics are stories(?), they’re hard to decipher, let alone follow, but this is a side factor when it comes to Tiny Vipers. What she has going on is a lot deeper and textured than can be defined by the words she’s singing.

There is no statement Tiny Vipers is trying to make. But there’s something about her music, her presence, that makes a statement all the same. There is no pretense in who she is, she delivers a raw, but soft and gentle, performance. She’s on stage, not there to please anyone – in fact one gets the feeling it wouldn’t matter if she were playing all alone in an empty apartment, or in front of thousands of folks (though one would question if she’d ever wish to go down this path, she seems the kind who would quietly allude to remaining just under the radar, or under no radar at all). She’d still deliver the same performance, wholely consumed in her art, her work, which in many ways makes her the untouchable, powerful and mysterious artist she is.

Triple Door’s acoustics and sound did justice to Fortino’s performance. It was a thoughtful show, a contemplative one from the audience’ perspective, and a very enjoyable and real experience at that.

This kid is raw talent. Check out the EP ‘Hands Across the Void’ (Subpop, 2007) for a glimpse into the deep and complex soul of Tiny Vipers. And to get an idea of Fortino live, pick up the DVD series ‘Burn to Shine’, Seattle WA edition – one of filmmaker Christoff Green and ex-Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty’s documentary series that captures live performances of favorite (in this case, Benjamin Gibbard’s – Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service) local Seattle bands in a unique and intimate setting – a house that is on the verge of being demolished.