T. Hardy Morris
Dude, The Obscure
Normaltown Records
T. Hardy Morris, of Dead Confederate and Diamond Rugs, made a sublime record in 2013 called Audition Tapes that I fell in love with. The Athens, Georgia native was favorably compared to folks such as Elliot Smith or a more rambunctious Neil Young, and it fits. On his third solo record, Dude, The Obscure, Morris expands his southern slacker sound to include moments such as the Will Oldham-influenced “The Night That Everything Changed”- featuring woozy atmospheres, or “Homemade Bliss” which sounds a bit like U2, if they grew up surrounded by Georgia kudzu instead of Irish peat.
The somber “Cheating Life, Living Death” features the haunting refrain of “I trust you more than I trust myself” over muted acoustic guitar whereas “Stage Names” uses a spritely electric guitar part to counterbalance the message of “Nobody’s buying/I’m not selling”, all delivered in Morris’ “just woke up” vocal style which reminds you of region-mate MT Taylor (Hiss Golden Messenger). The pedal steel touches of Matt Stoessel are used to great effect throughout, although not as much as on Audition Tapes.
Morris is one of those acts who could open a show for say, The Low Anthem, and then strap on the Telecaster to join up with the Drive-By Truckers, and gain fans either way. If you’re a fan of Palace, Smog or perhaps Skip Spence, check out T. Hardy Morris. He’s strangely beguiling amid the kudzu.
