Durham, North Carolina-based cellist, vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Morris spent years establishing himself in Athens, Georgia’s music biome, supporting some of its finest musicians and songwriters, including Ham 1, Vic Chesnutt, Liz Durrett, Madeline Adams, and Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers. Slow Funeral will be released on June 23, on New West imprint Strolling Bones Records (PRE-ORDER).
Slow Funeral was recorded in a series of late night sessions at 1093 in Athens, GA, by the graciousness of the studio and its engineer John Spiegel. Almost each track is from live, unedited performances of each instrument, with some overdubs of vocals and keys in some places. Each song, though different in mood, seems to occupy the same environment as the others because, well, it did. There’s an atmospheric quality to the space inhabited that runs through the EP like a ribbon.
Patterson Hood describes the album: Jacob has resurfaced with another beautiful collection of songs. Slow Funeral was recorded at 1093 in Athens, Georgia by John Speigel. Recorded mostly live in the studio during late night sessions, the record draws you in with its midnight vibes and hypnotic pull. In addition to his excellent musicianship, Jacob has an angelic voice and writes fantastic songs. He is often compared musically to such artists as Nick Drake, John Cale and Elliott Smith, all great comparisons but he’s definitely his own artist with his own sound and style.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the standout tune “Drowning” along with its accompanying music video. Kicking off with the king of slow and dreamy strumming that would make Lou Reed smile, the song is a slow-building, sunny romp that finds Morris showcasing his cool delivery, thoughtful lyricism, and his subtle yet impressive guitar grooving. This tune feels like a throwback to 60s and 70s harmonic folk-rock while also offering a glimpse of an artist who clearly has potential to grab our attention in the now.
Morris describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“‘Drowning’ has the narrative arch of a bad relationship. Good, weird, bad, over for good. This song sprung from a vivid dream I had, where I was driving across the Golden Gate Bridge—I’ve never been but one of my favorite t-shirts was of the bridge—and an earthquake started to shake the bridge and caused it to collapse. The car I was driving fell into the bay and I was stuck inside, trying to break out of the windows.
I think it may be a metaphor for being stuck in time, in the wrong timeline, or a fruitless relationship. You watch time float past without being able to touch it or change your course. You feel stuck in the sinking vessel. Yet not a single party in a relationship is without guilt or fault. Each is guilty of not being all there because of an impenetrable barrier to protect oneself after experiencing trauma and damage. The earthquake! And we’re all guilty of mythologizing the past and choosing what to remember. La de da, it’s over now and that’s a good thing. From the start of the song, Cullen Toole’s extra-bright electric guitar and John Fernandes’ violin are scratching at the glass, propelling the song til the very end. Thomas Valadez’s descending leads bring a tranquility to the mix while bass and drums hold down the form. I think this song benefited immensely from being recorded live, letting all that energy come across at once as together and spontaneous.”
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