This Is a Photograph

by Kevin Morby

Overview

Singer/songwriter Kevin Morby's output has been varied but consistent since he broke camp from his earlier bands Woods and Babies and started making metered, contemplative solo work. Over a quick succession of albums, Morby's songs took notes from rootsy rock icons like Cohen, Dylan, Springsteen, and Young, expanding on their templates with his own lyrical perspectives and a distinctive approach that resulted in a mysterious, slinky brand of songwriting. Seventh album This Is a Photograph sees Morby taking significant steps forward with his craft, both in terms of the album's considered production and the deep soul searching qualities of the songs themselves. The album was set in motion after Morby's father experienced a medical emergency, which led Morby into a phase of intense reflection on family, aging, mortality, and the cruel inevitabilities of time. Morby traveled to Memphis, Tennessee after his father recovered, holing up in the historic Peabody Hotel and writing the songs that would become This Is a Photograph. The music becomes a strange synthesis of Morby's heavy personal reflections and the gritty charm he soaked up from his time in Memphis. The titular opening track is one of his most clearly rendered lyrical statements to date, straightforwardly narrating the feeling of looking at photos of his parents in their youth, strong and ready to take on the world, and contrasting the feelings those images give him with the present reality of their health beginning to fade as they age. The song is built around a circular riff with a twangy funk to it, and it builds from acoustic guitars to driving drums, horns, and backup singers. The melancholic rumination on a lost loved one "Bittersweet, TN" dials the energy down a bit, with banjo plucks and gentle guest vocals from Nashville indie folk singer Erin Rae. It's one of several songs that employs elaborate string arrangements, elevating the tune from Morby's usual strong songcraft into something both more ethereal and more expressive of the song's complex emotions. Strings add not just to the gentler songs, but to the soul-tinged stroll of "Five Easy Pieces" and the intricately arranged "Stop Before I Cry." Morby uses the songs mostly as restrained backgrounds for his poetic reflections from his soul journey, but throws in a few rockers for good measure. "A Random Act of Kindness" slowly gains steam in the same way so many War on Drugs songs do, and "Rock Bottom" cuts straight to the chase with distorted guitars, cowbell, and howls of abandon. Morby reveals his fears, joys, and hopes with these songs in a way more direct and on the surface than any of his other albums. This heightened vulnerability, in conjunction with some of his most involved and best-sounding arrangements, make This Is a Photograph one of the best chapters in an already impressive catalog; one that finds a new artistic depth as it faces some of life's eternal concerns. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	05/13/2022
Label:	Dead Oceans
UPC:	0656605161617
Rank:	26424

Tracks

1. This Is a Photograph
2. A Random Act of Kindness
3. Bittersweet, TN
4. Disappearing
5. A Coat of Butterflies
6. Rock Bottom
7. Five Easy Pieces
8. Stop Before I Cry
9. It's Over
10. Goodbye to Good Times

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kevin Morby   Primary Artist,Piano,Snaps,Guitar,Vocals,Melodica,Sampling,Handclapping
Sam Cohen   Bass,Drums,Organ,Piano,Snaps,Guitar,Tambourine,Drum Machine,Handclapping,Lap Steel Guitar
Brittney Walker   Vocals (Background)
Cochemea Gastelum   Flute,Saxophone
Jared Samuel   Organ,Piano
Brandee Younger   Harp
Nick Kinsey   Drums,Percussion,Handclapping
Eric D. Johnson   Banjo
Alecia Chakour   Vocals,Tambourine,Vocals (Background)
Charlotte Hill   Viola
Cassandra Jenkins   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Makaya McCraven   Drums
Annie Beedy   Spoken Word
Joshua Jaeger   Drums,Snaps,Percussion
Oliver Hill   Violin
Sam Quiggins   Cello
Erin Rae   Vocals
Rachel Baiman   Fiddle
Brenae Johnson   Vocals (Background)
Briana Johnson   Vocals (Background)
Freddie Cohen   Spoken Word
Jerry Phillips   Spoken Word
Leah Buckley   Vocals (Background)
Meg Hill   Violin
Zalissa Stewart   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Sam Cohen   Engineer,Producer
D. James Goodwin   Mixing,Mastering
Tim Heidecker   Laughs
Kevin Morby   Composer
Rashaan Carter   Engineer
Alia Shawkat   Laughs
Mike Krol   Design
Wesley Graham   Engineer
Johnny Eastlund   Photography