James Vincent McMorrow, We Move – review

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Considered alongside the Dubliner’s debut album, Early In The Morning, We Move seems a foreign country, with its RnB and electronic soundscape. Though it was evident that McMorrow was moving away from the well established territory of Irish indie folk on Post Tropical, with its intricate blend of folk and RnB, We Move finds him completely abandoning any trace of the sound he started off with.

McMorrow’s trademark falsetto voice, which has always been his biggest asset, emerges here as far more dominating and versatile than before. In line with the prominence of electronics on We Move, his voice is manipulated to the point where it becomes an instrument itself. The use of vocal sampling, double tracking and backing vocals furthers his position as an RnB musician, to the point where he almost sounds akin to an early Kanye West.

Such vocal techniques can be credited to the producers Nineteen85 and Frank Dukes, who have previously worked alongside the likes of Drake, Kanye West and Rihanna. In fact, McMorrow himself contributed vocals to the Drake track “Hype”. It seems, then, that McMorrow is heading in the direction of more mainstream recognition. Opener “Rising Water” is a perfect example of a radio-friendly track, with McMorrow’s usually downbeat and melancholic tone replaced by an upbeat flow and a more confident delivery.

McMorrow is surely to be commended for taking such a bold leap in a new musical direction and abandoning the safe territory of indie folk. However, what had made McMorrow’s music so resonating – its multi-faceted frailty – has now largely disappeared. In its place is something far more sanguine, which has ultimately lost what made his sound so unique.

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