While Chicago artist Matt Morgan's visual art pares images down to basic shapes, simplifying objects into blocks of color, his recent music album is just the inverse of that-- it turns the sweater of life inside out and shows us the fascinating patterns, loops, twists, turns and strings behind it. He does this through simplicity, complexity and through a word not often used outside overly-serious law firm advertisements, yet is in “Red Silhouettes” in spades: integrity.
Why might you need integrity in music? Perhaps to combat the disc's biggest charm- and notably not its achilles heel- the fact that Matt records and plays nearly all of the instruments in the DIY spirit and reality that marks independent music as a slightly different breed than its glossy Billboard chart counterparts. It might have been easy to worry that, as bands or artists obtain a few pieces of gear and rush to make an album, that Red Silhouettes may walk about with a scarlet “DIY” on the chest.
In fact, it should. The DIY creation helps the album at every turn. This home-spun album is peppered with detail and salted with a quirky charm that make it surprisingly complex, entirely original and fit like a perfect hat. It makes it unexpected, bitter and tasty; warm and conversational, light-hearted as tea and dark as strong whiskey, and as eye opening as a cup of coffee or transcendent as a peek at a the perfect ray of sun.
Bell-like gongs, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards and jiving organs mingle with triangles and harmonica. The collection of sounds and the way they are placed in arrangements keep the album's head high above water in what could otherwise be just a splash in the folk/country ocean. The variety in the choice of instrumentation has a “Where the Wild Things Are” vibe or the color half of The Wizard of Oz...it's a new reality. Red Silhlouettes is grounded in experience from real life- the stories are of battles, soldiers, and friends.
The lyrics, in part, are loosely based on letters from the Civil War. Within ear-shot of a folk fan, this mere idea could easily become sentimental, either full of reverb or heart-bleeding sonic memorabilia from the glory days of Alan Lomax- but this doesn't go in that direction. Instead, due to the number of different and unexpected sounds, there is musicality and sense of adventure. The battles can be war or personal battles.
The illustration on the album cover is based on brass buckeles from different insignia in the Civil War. The idea for the imagery of album was based on tintype pictures from the war, as Morgan looked to the era initially simply for ideas for lyrics. Morgan has found that starting with a story from another source is a way he can invent lyrics. In fact “My Country's Son” is attributed to J.D. Flowers, who is not a songwriter but a soldier that lived over 100 years ago. Matt came across his letters, as well as those of another soldier, a 12-year-old boy who ran away from home to join the regiment, and who “Drummer Boy” is loosely based on. The battles throughout the album are tempered with graceful realizations and a life-affirming energy.
Rather than dwelling on war, the album is more a commentary about life in general. Morgan states, “One pervasive theme is facing the demons in front of you-- taking your flag and going to the front of the line, [saying] “I'm gonna face this down, I'm gonna take charge of life and be who I am” and make your life into how you want it to be.”
The arrangements are fresh, ebbing and flowing through verses and choruses with musical moxie. The instrument sounds are modern, well-crafted digital simulations at times, but the energy with which variety is entertained with helpless aplomb keeps the disc raw. The combination of sounds creates a backdrop of sonic texture that raises up like braille (Inside the Bone). Morgan's steady voice is the constant, which presides over the tracks like a violin, as his phrasing mirrors the way a violin can hit a note and play it the length of the bow, drawing out the sound. It's low, deep and somehow sounds selfless- but it's entirely confident and lyrically wise. When it arrives, it settles in like a pendulum.
Matt's rich tenor voice pulls the album out of folk trenches and adds to the musicality. Melodies are hypnotic and Gregorian-chant-like at times, cresting and falling in waves. There's a reggae vibe all over “Be Good” including a fife (a small flute circa 1776). It's as if the sounds of two revolutions (Jamaica's and the Revolutionary War) come together. The Civil War theme is just part of the album, which is overall about life's struggles and wisdom gained.
In the same way that some movies are loosely based on real events, the word “transcendence” is loosely based on a real human experience that may be overshadowed by our busy lives. The term itself can be eclipsed by new-age feel-good lingo. Within the sonic adventures of these songs, like a ship with its sails set on something real, transcendence is returned to a tangible feeling.
Transcendence comes from a general sense of triumph-- sometimes subtle, and sometimes overt. Triumph in lyrics “like bells in the wind, you rise up for your song to begin…”(Last Song) and "search for my triumphant day" (For All This Time). The latter song calmly leans like the giant arm of an oak tree. Background vocals by Anita Chase (½ Mad Poet) add a full aural experience. The violin is a feat of soaring country fiddle: lush, full and never itchy. The tone is haunting and rich, like a dark wood bookcase talking.
What you'll find in this album is something that makes you feel good. Red Sihlouettes is upbeat and melancholy. The acoustic guitar, ranges from deliberate single note picking, to strumming, full of dissonance and hungry, appearing even gospel-like in its movement. You can hear in the details it's clearly a labor of love- neither quick nor drifting. The album is easy to champion as simply an “indie musician makes good” but it's more than that. Novelty in sounds keep it fresh from without while lyrical substance for the soul makes an impression within. Together, you've got unique musical integrity ripe for repeated listens.
The CD Release show will be Friday February 25, 2011 at the Jackson Junge Gallery (1389 N Milwaukee Ave.) from 8pm - 11pm. Admission is free.
Red Silhouettes is available for download on all major digital distribution websites (iTunes - Amazon - Napster - LastFM) and is available for purchase in physical format on CD Baby here: LINK
Matt's website: www.matthewmorganmusic.com
To learn more about the people, musicians and organizations that contributed to Red
Silhouettes, check out Matthew Morgan's blog: http://matthewmorganmusicart.blogspot.com
