Stripped down indie rock.

Something about Kevin Morby‰’s Still Life feels like home. It‰’s comfortable. He‰’s your standard mopey guy with good tunes, and does a great job at it. Morby gives his own take on the classic rock n‰’ roll narrative in “The Ballad of Arlo Jones‰” and “All of my Life‰” brings in tambourine to the ever reliable mellow strumming of guitar. Introspective lyrics like “I am trying to make peace with where I am/ Blood is on the walls and there‰’s a knife stuck on my hand‰” feature on every track of the album.

The piano ballad “Parade‰” midway through ushers in the jazzier second half of the album that has longer (5 minutes) repetitive songs. Though impressively the album really has no duds. The acoustic closer “Our Moon‰” ends Still Life on a sweet note for an overall sweet, quality album that you‰’ll ask to “Sing to me in the morning/ Keep me warm from the storm outside.‰Û

RIYL: John Lennon, Wilsen, Bright Eyes
Recommended Tracks: 3, 7, 8, 9