Kevin Morby Little Wide Open
A couple of years ago, I came across a Victorian era phrase, “got the morbs.” The very Millenial-sounding descriptor was apparently a droll version of “down in the dumps” (usually, in a temporary sense). I think of this expression when I listen to Kevin Morby’s music, not simply for its sonic similarity, but because the melancholy found in some of his songs, while very present, is balanced out by comfort taken in what’s closest to him, if not a faith in the world at large. His latest album, Little Wide Open, bears that out – life, love and death (gotta have some morb-idity, after all) are front and center, all in Morby’s introspective, unhurried style.
The focal point of Little Wide Open is a part-time move, with partner Katie Crutchfield, from Kansas (Morby’s home) to LA (really, no one’s home). The album’s first song, “Badlands,” is a guitar-and-beats soliloquy to Morby’s beloved Midwest – “Heaven is a place on Earth beneath the golden sky,” even if that peace only lasts ‘’Til the tornado sirens start harmonizing” (those sirens courtesy of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon). Literal Heaven also pops up here – “I know that it’s going to hurt if I get there first,” touching on a mortality that Morby explores more deeply in the next track, “Die Young.” Over guitar and Mat Davidson’s subtly aching violin, Morby counters the recklessness of youth, particularly that of a music-maker – “Even though we tried in the beginning not to survive” -with a slightly older, somewhat wiser songwriter who sees age rushing inexorably toward him – “Time was moving too fast, I got to missing the past” (a feeling, I’m guessing, will only intensify now that Morby’s a dad-to-be).
Aaron Dessner, at his own request, produced Little Wide Open, and the record (happily) sounds neither like Dessner’s own band, The National (whom I love, but we only need one of them), or the numerous pop stars that Dessner has famously worked for. In fact, it’s probably Morby’s most twang-adjacent album to date. Which is suitable, since it seems destined to be a roadtrip record – “Natural Disaster” and the title track both gradually unspool to a total of over 15 minutes. The first single, “Javelin,” is an uptempo recall of Morby’s and Crutchfield’s early days together, defined in large part by, well, the time they spent apart – “Back in town all by myself/I should go dancing, take my boots off the shelf.” That uncertainty, like the more mortal questions posed by Morby across the record, are more topics of curiosity than of dread. The title track, with banjo from Dessner, pedal steel from Collin Croom and gorgeous backing vocals from Katie Gavin (MUNA), portrays a man with full knowledge of his inability to halt the inevitable – “I wanna go back, back in time/But my body’s not a Triumph, babe, and life’s not some highway.”
The cross between curiosity and mortality is explored most naturally in “Field Guide for the Butterflies.” The tranquil tune compares the seemingly mundane slaughter of highway-dwelling insects – “The paint’s stained on the Econoline/From the black blood of the butterfiles” – with the larger question (for humans, because we have the choice) of how we choose to live our lives – “In a world that kills, oh I will not sit still/It’s not suicide if I die out chasing thrills.” And while Kevin the dad may not turn out to be as hellbent for leather as Kevin the young indie rocker, he still sees the merit of leaving an indelible streak behind.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Natural Disaster” – This slow builder is a centerpiece of the album, featuring Morby at his most vulnerable, with great guitar work from Justin Vernon and a verse sung by Lucinda Williams, the master of surviving the worst life can bring: “That love may not want you/Then that love will haunt you/And, no, you won’t die.”
Little Wide Open was produced by Aaron Dessner, mixed by Jon Low and Bella Blasko and mastered by Steve Fallone. Musicians on the album include Kevin Morby (vocals, guitar, banjo), Aaron Dessner (drums, synths, bass, piano, guitar, drum programming, percussion, banjo, tambourine, slide guitar, mandolin), Andrew Barr (drums), Amelia Meath (backing vocals), Justin Vernon (siren vocals, guitar), Mat Davidson (violin, fiddle), Andrew Barr (drums, percussion), Amelia Meath (vocals), Benjamin Lanz (horns), Lucinda Williams (vocals), Oliver Hill (strings), Meg Duffy (guitar, bass, percussion), Tim Carr (drums, percussion), Katie Gavin (background vocals), Collin Croom (pedal steel), Stuart Bogie (clarinet), Tom Moth (harp) and Rachel Baiman (violin).
Go here to order/stream Little Wide Open (out May 15): https://kevinmorby.merchtable.com/
https://kevinmorby.lnk.to/little-wide-open
Check out tour dates here: https://www.kevinmorby.com/LWO/tour