The conveyor-belt that keeps a steady flow of releases by T E Morris coming seems to have been turned up another notch recently, and hot on the heels of Her Name is Calla’s ‘Ragman Roll’ single, Morris delivers another solo EP.
Across the four tracks on the sombrely-titled ‘Hanging Man’ EP, Morris continues to explore the inward-looking acoustic domain he’s made his territory over the past few years. But you’d be mistaken if you thought his prodigious output meant he was churning out off-the-cuff strumalongs with tossed-off lyrics about beans on toast or whatever. If anything, his latest work reveals an artist who’s been hard at work refining his craft and the material is quietly intricate.
There’s a mediaeval pagan folk feel to the sparse guitar that provides the main accompaniment to Morris’ hushed vocal on the title track. Slowly builds with the addition of a persistent piano and subtle layers of reverb and multitracking on the vocals as Morris once again dredges his soul for emotion while sketching images of snow and sky.
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‘Melarosa / Tidal’ is the most optimistic-sounding song to be found Even when he sings, in a soaring falsetto ‘I’m too gutless’ he sounds almost at peace with the fact. But while Morris does create flickeringly brief moments that are uplifting, his real skill is rendering emotional torment and self-doubt a thing of beauty – and on this offering, he does it magnificently.
T E Morris Online
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