Singing Saw is one of those albums that immediately captures your interest, but offers enough depth and hidden intricacies to make every subsequent listen just as rewarding.
For all the tragedy that’s to be found within Singing Saw, it is a warm, welcoming album, every second of it informed by a knowledge of the transience of all things.
Singing Saw is his strongest album because it shows a process of refinement, and because Morby’s songwriting has become less referential and more grounded. The basic ingredients haven’t changed, but Morby is figuring out how to retain and amplify his strongest points—his weary and wise voice, his understanding of how the musical pieces fit together—and leave everything else behind.
Morby’s third album Singing Saw is a collection of polished songs — even if much of its latter half blurs together.
As a whole, Singing Saw is Morby’s best work. He’s becoming one of the most memorable singer songwriters to emerge from the States in years.
The match of songs and sounds on Singing Saw delivers on all the promise of his earlier records, while firmly establishing Morby as one of the best singer/songwriters going.
Using twilight walks into the mountains as inspiration and the shabby house he shares with his girlfriend, his guitars and an old piano as his base, Morby cooked up a glorious third album.
Singing Saw is the sound of affirmation, of both hard-earned talent and childlike imagination. As a result, Morby has discovered a sound which is organic without ever quoting, rocking without ever rolling at the same time, transcending while barely leaving the ground.
Morby has crafted a more diverse and atmospheric set of contexts, environments that mostly offer that voice the space to be centre stage, but which offer musical contributions that compensate for its emphasis on clarity and phrasing over melody.
An album that finds him light-years beyond his previous release, revealing him to be one of today's most promising singer-songwriters.
Singing Saw will be remembered as a breakthrough moment from an artist who’s now more comfortable articulating his own visual language.
From the warm analogue production feel to the blemished vocal takes, ‘Singing Saw’ sounds timeless, with flashes of Dylan, cult Searching For Sugar Man star Rodriguez, and Bill Fay throughout.
I have seen Kevin Morby live twice now and can say I think he does sound better live than on record, however, this album is still great and unique. It sounds like it is coming from a different planet at times, but still sounds so familiar, but not done before. 'I Have Been to the Mountain' is such a great song and a stand-out for me.
Wow, this record inspired me so much. Been rly getting into alt-country lately.
Any suggestions?
I have seen Kevin Morby live twice now and can say I think he does sound better live than on record, however, this album is still great and unique. It sounds like it is coming from a different planet at times, but still sounds so familiar, but not done before. 'I Have Been to the Mountain' is such a great song and a stand-out for me.
Wow, this record inspired me so much. Been rly getting into alt-country lately.
Any suggestions?
Sabes que la música de Morby es como un soundtrack, cuándo suena perfecta cuando la pones en un viaje.
1 | Cut Me Down 3:32 | |
2 | I Have Been to the Mountain 3:14 | |
3 | Singing Saw 7:15 | |
4 | Drunk and on a Star 4:18 | 95 |
5 | Dorothy 5:08 | |
6 | Ferris Wheel 3:05 | |
7 | Destroyer 4:26 | |
8 | Black Flowers 5:47 | |
9 | Water 6:40 |
#13 | / | Sputnikmusic |
#20 | / | Gigwise |
#23 | / | MOJO |
#28 | / | Rough Trade |
#32 | / | BrooklynVegan |
#34 | / | Pitchfork |
#41 | / | Q Magazine |
#44 | / | The Skinny |
#44 | / | Under the Radar |
#49 | / | Earbuddy |