Plug
05-01-2012, 13:11
FRI 10TH FEB 2012
JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW
ROB BRAVERY
http://www.the-plug.com/events-and-tickets/live/james-vincent-mcmorrow
DOORS: 7:00 PM / PRICE: £12.50 / BOOKING FEE: £1.00 / AGE: 14+
James Vincent McMorrow’s musical life began far removed from the haunting folk and mythic imagery of his debut output. His early love was hardcore rock, and he spent his teens learning to play drums to the likes of Refused, At The Drive In and Glassjaw. It wasn’t until he heard Donny Hathaway’s ‘I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know’ that he even considered singing, and because of the high, soulful tone to his voice, James found particular encouragement from female singer/songwriters. “I can understand the way they construct melody almost better than I can the way male singers write,” James notes. “But it wasn’t until about four years ago that I actually wrote my first song. I knew I needed to have things worth talking about before I put pen to paper.”
‘Early In The Morning’, then, is the result of a self-education, and the time James spent learning his craft. Having begun to write songs, he quickly sought somewhat surprising inspiration in the hip hop production of acts such as The Neptunes and Timbaland. James then spent three years experimenting with sounds and learning how to make music, and only then did he take this newfound knowledge into an isolated house by the Irish Sea, intent on making a record. One of the first fruits of this six-month labour was ‘If I Had A Boat’: an eerie and emotive introduction to the album, which began life as just a title, but soon started to marry an array of influences. Throughout the record, you can hear the overtones of his Irish upbringing brought together with these traditionally more American, West Coast sounds (see also the relentless ‘Sparrow & The Wolf’, or the instantly-catchy ‘This Old Dark Machine’).
As an album, ‘Early In The Morning’ is an atmospheric and absorbing listen, which peels back layers upon every visit. It can be musically sweet and lyrically maudlin by equal measure (note the “you can stop your crying, I’m never coming back” opening to the relatively upbeat ‘Breaking Hearts’). The unusual influence of those great female singers also makes an emotional mark (‘We Don’t Eat’ wouldn’t feel out of place on a Billie Holiday collection). And though the album’s conception will inevitably draw comparisons with Bon Iver and his cabin, the record bears closer inspiration from the likes of John Steinbeck, F Scott Fitzgerald or Roald Dahl: writers who examined, in McMorrow’s words, “the darker, less spoken about aspects of life, solitude and disillusionment. The characters I create in those songs, the ones existing in the shadows...they’re all elements of me, for sure.” This is perhaps best demonstrated on ‘From The Woods!!’ towards the record’s end, which builds, fades and then positively erupts into a dramatic musical conclusion. The album closes just as it started, on the bucolic five-part harmony of ‘Early In The Morning, I’ll Come Calling’.
James Vincent McMorrow has taken a somewhat circuitous route to success (hardcore rock, hip hop, a house by the Irish Sea and a growing love of folk). Yet he has emerged as a quite brilliant new talent.
New Single: ‘We Don’t Eat’ / ‘Higher Love’ out November 13
October UK Tour and Royal Festival Hall Date Also Confirmed
“Sounds both fresh and as if they’ve been in your head forever…McMorrow’s debut deserves its success” Q, ****
"The Irish songsmith's haunting, soulful sound blossoms....he will be unstoppable" Guardian ****
“Vocals, lyrics and arrangements whose restraint and subtlety are totally at odds with the profound impact and resonance of his songs’ Sunday Times Culture
“Dusky vignettes on unseen and wondrous magic…gorgeous” NME
“A captivating debut…An arresting journey from emotional trials to aural pleasure” Uncut, ****
“His high, hoarse timbre is used to magnificent effect” Mojo, ****
Dublin’s James Vincent McMorrow will release a new single, ‘We Don’t Eat’, on November 13. This latest track to be lifted from James’ debut album – ‘Early In the Morning’ – will be backed by a gorgeous cover of Steve Winwood’s ‘Higher Love’, which has already reached #1 on Hype Machine, and will be available as a limited edition 7” via Rough Trade. With an October tour and more live plans for the winter TBA, McMorrow can also confirm a Royal Festival Hall headline show for February 2012.
‘We Don’t Eat’ is a strange and quietly emotive highlight from James Vincent McMorrow’s debut record, which was released in the UK this March. Having received significant acclaim, it has become a genuinely self-made success story. With playlist support strong across Radio 1, Radio 2 and XFM, James has also supported the likes of Joanna Newsom and Arcade Fire, as well as selling out headline shows at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, ICA and St Pancras Church. Then followed extensive touring across the US, together with major UK festivals (Glastonbury, Latitude, Bestival, Green Man). In his native Ireland, meanwhile, James’ record has already gone Gold, been nominated for the prestigious Choice Prize – the Irish Mercury – and will see him return to Dublin this autumn, where he’ll play two long-sold-out shows at the Olympia.
All this is far removed from the slow-but-steady route James Vincent McMorrow took when making music. Having begun his career drumming in hardcore bands, James dropped out of college and spent his teens laboriously teaching himself how to sing and write songs: four years were dedicated to simply learning his craft, whilst making ends meet pushing trolleys at an airport. He then signed to EMI Publishing in 2008, moving from Dublin to London intent on making a record. However, feeling stifled by studios and still unhappy with his material, James returned home to Ireland with his tail firmly between his legs.
Seizing the chance to finally make music on his own, McMorrow accepted the offer of a six-month stint in an isolated house by the Irish Sea. Here, his songwriting finally flourished. An album quickly emerged inspired by everything from Donny Hathaway - James’ high, soulful voice led to him being asked to sing with the girls in the school choir - to the dark, turn-of-the-century narratives of John Steinbeck and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is a mix that ‘We Don’t Eat’ exemplifies, with its somewhat mythic imagery (“two thousand years I’ve been in that water / two thousand years, sunk like a stone”) contrasting effectively with James’ rich and uplifting voice. McMorrow’s pursuit of perfectionism was worth the wait.
Support from Rob Bravery
www.jamesvmcmorrow.com
www.facebook.com/jamesvincentmcmorrow
http://twitter.com/#!/jamesvmcmorrow
www.myspace.com/jamesvmcmorrow
www.robbravery.com
JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW
ROB BRAVERY
http://www.the-plug.com/events-and-tickets/live/james-vincent-mcmorrow
DOORS: 7:00 PM / PRICE: £12.50 / BOOKING FEE: £1.00 / AGE: 14+
James Vincent McMorrow’s musical life began far removed from the haunting folk and mythic imagery of his debut output. His early love was hardcore rock, and he spent his teens learning to play drums to the likes of Refused, At The Drive In and Glassjaw. It wasn’t until he heard Donny Hathaway’s ‘I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know’ that he even considered singing, and because of the high, soulful tone to his voice, James found particular encouragement from female singer/songwriters. “I can understand the way they construct melody almost better than I can the way male singers write,” James notes. “But it wasn’t until about four years ago that I actually wrote my first song. I knew I needed to have things worth talking about before I put pen to paper.”
‘Early In The Morning’, then, is the result of a self-education, and the time James spent learning his craft. Having begun to write songs, he quickly sought somewhat surprising inspiration in the hip hop production of acts such as The Neptunes and Timbaland. James then spent three years experimenting with sounds and learning how to make music, and only then did he take this newfound knowledge into an isolated house by the Irish Sea, intent on making a record. One of the first fruits of this six-month labour was ‘If I Had A Boat’: an eerie and emotive introduction to the album, which began life as just a title, but soon started to marry an array of influences. Throughout the record, you can hear the overtones of his Irish upbringing brought together with these traditionally more American, West Coast sounds (see also the relentless ‘Sparrow & The Wolf’, or the instantly-catchy ‘This Old Dark Machine’).
As an album, ‘Early In The Morning’ is an atmospheric and absorbing listen, which peels back layers upon every visit. It can be musically sweet and lyrically maudlin by equal measure (note the “you can stop your crying, I’m never coming back” opening to the relatively upbeat ‘Breaking Hearts’). The unusual influence of those great female singers also makes an emotional mark (‘We Don’t Eat’ wouldn’t feel out of place on a Billie Holiday collection). And though the album’s conception will inevitably draw comparisons with Bon Iver and his cabin, the record bears closer inspiration from the likes of John Steinbeck, F Scott Fitzgerald or Roald Dahl: writers who examined, in McMorrow’s words, “the darker, less spoken about aspects of life, solitude and disillusionment. The characters I create in those songs, the ones existing in the shadows...they’re all elements of me, for sure.” This is perhaps best demonstrated on ‘From The Woods!!’ towards the record’s end, which builds, fades and then positively erupts into a dramatic musical conclusion. The album closes just as it started, on the bucolic five-part harmony of ‘Early In The Morning, I’ll Come Calling’.
James Vincent McMorrow has taken a somewhat circuitous route to success (hardcore rock, hip hop, a house by the Irish Sea and a growing love of folk). Yet he has emerged as a quite brilliant new talent.
New Single: ‘We Don’t Eat’ / ‘Higher Love’ out November 13
October UK Tour and Royal Festival Hall Date Also Confirmed
“Sounds both fresh and as if they’ve been in your head forever…McMorrow’s debut deserves its success” Q, ****
"The Irish songsmith's haunting, soulful sound blossoms....he will be unstoppable" Guardian ****
“Vocals, lyrics and arrangements whose restraint and subtlety are totally at odds with the profound impact and resonance of his songs’ Sunday Times Culture
“Dusky vignettes on unseen and wondrous magic…gorgeous” NME
“A captivating debut…An arresting journey from emotional trials to aural pleasure” Uncut, ****
“His high, hoarse timbre is used to magnificent effect” Mojo, ****
Dublin’s James Vincent McMorrow will release a new single, ‘We Don’t Eat’, on November 13. This latest track to be lifted from James’ debut album – ‘Early In the Morning’ – will be backed by a gorgeous cover of Steve Winwood’s ‘Higher Love’, which has already reached #1 on Hype Machine, and will be available as a limited edition 7” via Rough Trade. With an October tour and more live plans for the winter TBA, McMorrow can also confirm a Royal Festival Hall headline show for February 2012.
‘We Don’t Eat’ is a strange and quietly emotive highlight from James Vincent McMorrow’s debut record, which was released in the UK this March. Having received significant acclaim, it has become a genuinely self-made success story. With playlist support strong across Radio 1, Radio 2 and XFM, James has also supported the likes of Joanna Newsom and Arcade Fire, as well as selling out headline shows at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, ICA and St Pancras Church. Then followed extensive touring across the US, together with major UK festivals (Glastonbury, Latitude, Bestival, Green Man). In his native Ireland, meanwhile, James’ record has already gone Gold, been nominated for the prestigious Choice Prize – the Irish Mercury – and will see him return to Dublin this autumn, where he’ll play two long-sold-out shows at the Olympia.
All this is far removed from the slow-but-steady route James Vincent McMorrow took when making music. Having begun his career drumming in hardcore bands, James dropped out of college and spent his teens laboriously teaching himself how to sing and write songs: four years were dedicated to simply learning his craft, whilst making ends meet pushing trolleys at an airport. He then signed to EMI Publishing in 2008, moving from Dublin to London intent on making a record. However, feeling stifled by studios and still unhappy with his material, James returned home to Ireland with his tail firmly between his legs.
Seizing the chance to finally make music on his own, McMorrow accepted the offer of a six-month stint in an isolated house by the Irish Sea. Here, his songwriting finally flourished. An album quickly emerged inspired by everything from Donny Hathaway - James’ high, soulful voice led to him being asked to sing with the girls in the school choir - to the dark, turn-of-the-century narratives of John Steinbeck and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is a mix that ‘We Don’t Eat’ exemplifies, with its somewhat mythic imagery (“two thousand years I’ve been in that water / two thousand years, sunk like a stone”) contrasting effectively with James’ rich and uplifting voice. McMorrow’s pursuit of perfectionism was worth the wait.
Support from Rob Bravery
www.jamesvmcmorrow.com
www.facebook.com/jamesvincentmcmorrow
http://twitter.com/#!/jamesvmcmorrow
www.myspace.com/jamesvmcmorrow
www.robbravery.com