Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
“Everyone always says there isn’t a manual for becoming an adult, so I decided to make my own.” Jake Morley
The transition to adulthood is rarely an easy one. These eleven tracks form Jake Morley’s own personal manual, following the journey from confusion to confidence, from fear to freedom and finding joy in the moment. Produced by Calum MacColl (Rokia Traore, Peggy Seeger, Black), The Manual tells the story of a broken mind pieced back together, through complex layers of sound and beautiful string arrangements. The tactile book-like CD packaging accentuates that this is something to keep close at all times.
2011 debut album ‘Many Fish To Fry’ catapulted the London-born singer into a spotlight of national & international tours, scores of festival performances, glowing press reviews and plays all across BBC Radio 2 and 6Music. His remarkable lap-tapping guitar technique and onstage charisma left audiences equally awed and charmed.
But during the obsessive focus on a follow-up his mental health began to unravel. Lost and feeling the absence of his father (who died when Morley was 21), he struggled to come to terms with the most important questions in life. Key track ‘Strange Loop’ describes this ‘emotional software’ malfunction, set against degrading looped sound effects, “This machine has lost some code … there’s gotta be a little more to living but somehow we just can’t let go”. On the remarkable ‘Watch Yourself’, he duets with a choir of his subconscious, berating himself for being “a beautiful shambles, barely holding it together” while his unconscious mind reassures him: “you’re beautiful, hold it together”.
Morley’s crisis was characterised by a ruthless habit of re-writing which, while painful, has resulted in the most detailed and impressive music of his career to date. The Manual crackles with stark imagery, clarity of vision and eventual optimism. On the title track he nails it: “My younger days are gone, time don’t stand still, it’s time to learn what it means to be a man now” but finds peace in the mantra-like chorus:
“Speak your mind and use your head
Walk tall, find a roof and make a bed
Take good care of all the ones that you love
Don’t be scared, be strong
Carry the weight of the world”
A master at turning everyday experiences into memorable lyrics, Jake Morley’s second album is both an emotionally honest diary and a joyous survival manual.
Tracklisting :
The Floods
Strange Loop
Ghostess
Falter
Watch Yourself
Room In The Middle
Lionchild
Weight On My Eyes
Allegorical House
The Manual
Start Again
Jake also plays the following UK live dates in November…
16th November 2016 – Manchester, Gullivers
17th November 2016 – Kendal, Bootleggers
18th November 2016 – Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge
19th November 2016 – Bristol, Thekla
23rd November 2016 – London, Bush Hall
Ticket links :
