Review: Morrison Graves ‘Under The Weight Of Gravity’ EP
Having sprung to life during the 2020 pandemic, Morrison Graves entered the musical ring during a particularly turbulent time. The world was closed down, live music wasn’t a thing, and getting to be an actual band creating together in the same space was nigh-on impossible.
Imagine trying to navigate that situation and being resourceful enough to get your art out into the wider community. No mean feat, right?
Well, step forward Morrison Graves, champions of the somewhat impossible, who navigated those issues and emerged victorious. Going from a recording project to a live outfit was a productive move, and now here we are, a couple of years later, and the band have re-emerged with a fresh new EP to reignite those fires.
As this is only a five-track EP, I feel like I will be swiftly running through proceedings. After all, I don’t want to distract too much from the real point, which is getting you to check the group out for yourselves and jump on this trippy post-psych band before all your mates do. Trust me, you are going to want to check out Morrison Graves; they bring an eclectically fresh vibe to a genre greatly in need of some fresh blood, and do it in such a way that you can barely recognise the genre at all.
At this point, I would like to stress that psychedelia isn’t overly my go-to, native tongue musically. While I have an appreciation, my tastes usually are far darker, and for the last couple of years have swayed into post-rock and sludge waters. That being said, good music is good music, and this EP is an absolute banger.
Right from the initial seconds to the dying breaths, it is a colossal success. Track one is entitled Home, and even from those opening fuzzy guitar bars that draw us in, it is a lavish affair. When the accompanying percussion and bass roll in, it really does evolve into a hazy spectacle. The soaring highs nudge me towards grunge sensibilities briefly, specifically the guitar solos of Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard and Mike McCready. The vibrancy is also akin to REZN in texture, too. It’s hard to overly categorise, mostly because it isn’t psychedelic to me; it is actually more alternative stoner with a trippy undercurrent.
The Swarm is where things turn pretty psychedelic. Complete with a sitar throughout, it has a completely different feel to its predecessor. It has an otherworldly demeanour that inspires thoughts of mystical, far-away lands, incense, and the late ‘60s into the ‘70s. It offsets track one and sets up track three perfectly.
they transform, evolve, and morph between styles without ever missing a beat…
Alice manages to take the highlights from the first two tracks, fuse them together, and come back with something vibrantly eclectic without being cliché. The luxurious vocal atop the retro-rockin’ soundtrack provides a perfect accompaniment, and ultimately the basis for a hectic romp in hard rock waters. It’s at this point I notice just how versatile this band really are.
Track four, In The Mourning, sees them shaking things up once again, this time incorporating a weirdly indie vibe. For a band who cite psychedelia in their DNA, they are actually far more versatile. Not a band to be pigeonholed, they manage to do the unthinkable, jump genres effortlessly, and pull it off, too. They somehow turn the sound into an entity with a further-reaching audience than just one specific demographic. It’s refreshing to have a band that isn’t afraid to shake things up and yet remain legitimate in their output.
Recycled Fragments closes the EP, and this one is probably the darkest of the bunch. Moody and pensive, this final display solidifies just how great they truly are. It’s darker in tone, but still ridiculously infectious.
And that’s the thing with this band: even over the course of these five tracks, they transform, evolve, and morph between styles without ever missing a beat. Truly a revelation to behold, Morrison Graves should be a name on everyone’s list of bands to discover.
With each new listen, I fall deeper into their spell. It is one of the best releases of the year by far – a real gem. Go on, give them a listen; you won’t regret it…
Label: Independent
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
