The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
16
new
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: SCOTT KLEIN – “WHAT’S MY NAME”
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: SOUTH OF FRANCE – “SIDEWALK”
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: HOT LIPS – “FEMICIDE”
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: KATEY MORLEY – HEARTS & HEADS & THOUGHTS & DEEDS
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: LEAHY – “GOOD WATER”
SPILL NEW MUSIC: BILL JR. JR. (A.K.A. VANCOUVER SINGER-SONGWRITER RUSSELL GENDRON) TO RELEASE ‘HOMEBODY’ ON JANUARY 26 | SINGLE “DEAR NEIGHBOUR” OUT NOW
SPILL NEW MUSIC: CAPE TOWN PUNK-DUO THE SOAPGIRLS RELEASE “HEART IN BLOOM” – A LOCKDOWN TRIBUTE TO HOPE AND LOVE
SPILL NEW MUSIC: STRIPPERS UNION RETURN AFTER 10 YEAR HIATUS WITH NEW DOUBLE-LP ‘THE UNDERTAKING’ VIA THE ORCHARD | FIRST SINGLE “WE ARE THE UNDERWORLD” RELEASED
SPILL NEW MUSIC: ROCK HEARTTHROB RICK SPRINGFIELD MEETS CLASSIC ROCK HEROES BADFINGER FOR A SPECIAL NEW SINGLE “LOVE IS GONNA COME AT LAST”
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: THE LUXURIOUS FAUX FURS – LIKE A REAL SHADOW
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: UNMANNED – UNMANNED
SPILL NEW MUSIC: “SHAMELESS” STAR WILLIAM H. MACY RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE “WHISKEY DELL” UNDER “WILLIE CREEKS” MONIKER
SPILL EP PREMIERE: THE SHINING TONGUES – THE PRAYER
SPILL FEATURE: THE ROLLING STONES’ UNZIPPED – A CONVERSATION WITH THEMUSEUM’S DAVID MARSKELL
SPILL FEATURE: I WAS ROCKER SPICE – A CONVERSATION WITH KATHY VALENTINE OF THE GO-GO’S
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY – MECHANICAL SOUL
  • MORE
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • TOTD
  • Books + Movies
  • Scene Unseen
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • TOTD
    • Books + Movies
    • Scene Unseen
    • About
REGISTER
@
LOGIN
Album Reviews
114
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CAN - THE SINGLES
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JESSICA LEE MORGAN - AROUND THE BLOCK

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KEVIN MORBY – CITY MUSIC

Kevin Morby

Kevin Morby
City Music
Dead Oceans Records

City Music, Kevin Morby’s fourth solo album, is his first since 2016’s Singing Saw. It is also his second release on the Dead Oceans record label. You might also remember that Morby was a member of the band The Babies, not to be confused with the 1980’s band The Babys. And over the past ten years, he has continued to write and record brilliant albums either with The Babies or on his own.

For City Music, Morby is making a heavy statement about urban life. Perhaps he is reacting to the recent popularity of ‘Americana’ music, or it just may be he has spent most of his adult life in a city. Either way, he has delivered an album deeply set in the city. Morby taps into the spirit of Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and Patti Smith and has put together an album that takes different perspectives of life in the city. The old and the young, and all stops in between. The result is a very listenable and intelligent album. An album that you might find yourself returning to, especially during those hot days of summer.

He also borrows from Jim Carroll’s classic song “People Who Died” and created the remarkable “1234”, which also serves as a tribute to The Ramones. It is a brilliant burst of a song, and Morby has never sounded better. Morby wears his influences on his sleeve with this album and also covers The Germs “Caught In My Eye”.  He pulls it all together to produce a very cohesive album.

But just when you think you got this album figured out, Morby throws an interesting curve ball, with a short piece called “Flannery’. It is a brief segment of a book by Flannery O’Connor book The Violent Bear It Away. O’Connor is a known as a Southern Gothic novelist, and yet her description of kids seeing a city for the first time is not only amusing, it is also deeply touching. Morby, quite wisely, got his friend Meg Baird to read the passage. Sandwiched between “Dry Your Eyes” and “City Music”, it is nothing short of brilliant.

The instrumentation is somewhat sparse at times and extremely well produced by Morby and RIchard Swift (he produced David Bazan, Damien Jurado and The Shins). Morby plays great guitar and he surrounds himself with very talented musicians which includes Swift and Meg Duffy. Meg Baird provides backing vocals and narration.

As with his last album, City Music seems to be a deeply personal album and statement by Morby. This makes listening to it tricky at times but well worth the effort.  Morby’s voice is unlike any other singer out there today and he writes very unique songs.

A brilliant album, and ones that fans should enjoy. Now, if we could get him to play some Canadian dates on his current tour.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016 instagram_flat_2016

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KEVIN MORBY – CITY MUSIC

Author

Aaron Badgley

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
—
8.0
Total Spill Rating
—
Total Fan Rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
1234album reviewscity musicdead oceans recordsdowntown lightskevin morbynight time
1234, album reviews, city music, dead oceans records, downtown lights, kevin morby, night time
About the Author
Aaron Badgley
Aaron Badgley
Born and raised in Whitby, Aaron discovered music through his love of The Beatles. This led to a career in radio, writing for various publications, and ultimately a radio show about The Beatles (Beatles Universe), which ran for over four years. When not immersed in music, Aaron enjoys spending time with the loves of his life -- his wife Andrea, and daughters Emily and Linda (all of whom have an intense love of music too).
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewskevin morby
 
8.0
Front Line Assembly
6.1

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY – MECHANICAL SOUL

by Trista Whitman on January 15, 2021
Front Line Assembly Mechanical Soul Metropolis Records After over three decades of music from industrial greats Front Line Assembly, they’ve now released their 17th album, [...]
 
9.0
Grievous Angels

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GRIEVOUS ANGELS – THE SUMMER BEFORE THE STORM

by Aaron Badgley on January 15, 2021
Grievous Angels The Summer Before The Storm Jimmy Boyle Records The Grievous Angels made their debut in 1986, and The Summer Before The Storm, their eighth album, is [...]
 
7.0
The Dirty Nil
8.9

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DIRTY NIL – FUCK ART

by Matt Owczarz on January 1, 2021
The Dirty Nil Fuck Art Dine Alone Records Fuck Art is the third studio album from the Hamilton, Ont.-based The Dirty Nil, in which they reaffirm their commitment to keeping the spirit of [...]
 
8.0
George Thorogood And The Destroyers
10

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS – LIVE IN BOSTON, 1982: THE COMPLETE CONCERT

by Aaron Badgley on December 18, 2020
George Thorogood And The Destroyers Live In Boston, 1982: The Complete Concert Craft Recordings George Thorogood has been making music [...]
 
10
Paul McCartney
9.2

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PAUL McCARTNEY – McCARTNEY III

by Aaron Badgley on December 18, 2020
Paul McCartney McCartney III MPL/Capitol Paul McCartney has always used music to get through difficult times. In 1970, when the Beatles split, he came out with the classic McCartney [...]
Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY – MECHANICAL SOUL
8.0
6.1
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GRIEVOUS ANGELS – THE SUMMER BEFORE THE S...
9.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DIRTY NIL – FUCK ART
7.0
8.9
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS – LIV...
8.0
10
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PAUL McCARTNEY – McCARTNEY III
10
9.2
Latest Live Reviews
View All
 
Lord Huron

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: LORD HURON ALIVE FROM WHISPERING PINES: EPISODE 1 OF 4 (VIRTUAL EVENT)

by Robert Defina on January 7, 2021
81
 

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: WARDRUNA – ‘KVITRAVN’ PRESENTATION (ONLINE PERFORMANCE)

by Samantha Wu on December 10, 2020
140
 
Evanescence

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: EVANESCENCE @ ROCK FALCON STUDIO, NASHVILLE (TN)

by Melinda Welsh on December 5, 2020
47
 
Alice In Chains

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: MoPOP PRESENTS: ALICE IN CHAINS @ MUSEUM OF POP CULTURE, SEATTLE (WA)

by Gerrod Harris on December 1, 2020
58
 
Lowest Of The Low

SPILL LIVE REVIEW: LOWEST OF THE LOW @ LEE’S PALACE, TORONTO

by John Graham on November 28, 2020
1296
Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Premieres
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Spill Magazine Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2020 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL FEATURE: REMEMBERING LEX GORE: A SPILL MAGAZINE MEMORIAL – TRIBUTE BY SUSANA MEZA
2707
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOHN LENNON – GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES
648
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARY HOPKIN – ANOTHER ROAD
590
 
SPILL FEATURE: THAT GOOD OLD FASHIONED RAZZMATAZZ – A CONVERSATION WITH DALLON WEEKES OF I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
587
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT – LIVE AROUND THE WORLD
557
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PAUL McCARTNEY – McCARTNEY III
530
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALTER BRIDGE – WALK THE SKY 2.0
498
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GUIDED BY VOICES – STYLES WE PAID FOR
473
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JON ANDERSON – 1000 HANDS
468
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY – MECHANICAL SOUL
466
 
SPILL FEATURE: TO FEEL OUR HUMANITY IN SOLIDARITY – A CONVERSATION WITH NINA HAGEN
445
 
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: CHURCH OF TREES FEAT. CAROLE POPE – “WORLD’S A BITCH”
434
 
SPILL FEATURE: GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME – A CONVERSATION WITH CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA
365
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES