Singer-songwriter Tom Morgan, whose long-reaching musical history includes writing songs for The Lemonheads, has composed a sympathetic and compelling album here that captures the nature of an aging spirit. Herded by unaffected acoustics and honest vocals, Orange Syringe offers music that is at times clever, ironic, and wise—but mostly it provides a humble and sincere dwelling within which one can reflect.
The opener “One True Love” sets the album’s mood, stirring dark, gothic embers glow in its background while Morgan’s low raspy voice, frayed with weariness, turns out lazy rhymes and meanders through run-on refrains. Thematic images forebode the futility of the future and lament the mistakes of the past, all while a simple guitar provides the only real accompaniment. This instrumental minimalism typifies the rest of the music to follow; Morgan’s vocals are forefront and rarely is there more to a track than soft percussion and gently-vibing guitars. It is a perfectly symbolic form; suggesting that, just as time has stripped Morgan to his barest, most genuine person, so has he stripped his music to its most humble, sincere core.
Standouts include “Best Thing for Baby,” with its campfire forlornness and twangy folk, “ Fatherland,” with its country-pop melodies and backing feminine harmony, and “I’ll Provide The Wine,” with its bitter-sweet riffs and simple ruminations on aging. “Taste For Blood” and “Jungle boy” are heavier on the instrumentals, sporting advisory lyrics and danger-drawn moods. “Mess With the Bull” might sound like an intimidating title, and its lyrics are likewise unfriendly, but its enervated instrumentals and melody-shy refrains evoke something more like an exhausted animal turning around in circles before lying down to sleep as opposed to a rage-engorged bull.
With the conclusive organ melody of “Final Final the One the One”, Morgan takes us on a retrospective trudge through his emotional landscape. It’s hard not to feel like you have aged by two decades—this is the sort of music that will bring out the old soul in anyone.
