The latest record from Asa Morris, Carcostic, was released on Sept. 18, marking yet another album release for the Capital Region-based artist. A highly prolific lo-fi artist, Morris expands their already impressive oeuvre with a record that quickly establishes a sound that predominantly leans toward grunge, mixing in dashes of eerie and ethereal textures throughout.
Morris has the ability to let listeners know very quickly what they can sonically expect; this record is no different. The intro track, “You Only Love Me When I’m High,” features acoustic guitar fingerpicking with a haunting vocal that develops into a full-band production. The harmonies sound extremely eerie and ethereal, which contributes to the overall feeling of the track. The song’s repetitive nature is perfect for the nature of the lyrics; at times this tune — and overall record — feels like a dirge.
One thing that stands out on this record, having heard the majority of Morris’ work over the years, is their ability on the guitar. It has really grown! The record, which often utilizes fuzz effects on the guitar tracks, is chock-full of engaging riffs and effective ostinato patterns that really help glue the songs together.
There are times when the lyrics get a bit lost in the mix, such as on the track, “Yours,” but the haunting nature of the melodies throughout this record is never lost.
Over the years, Morris has written and played with a wide variety of musicians. For this record, Morris definitely handles the lion’s share of instrumentation, handling vocals, guitar, bass, keys, samples, steel tongue drum and programming. The other credited are Steven Scotch on drums and Elizabeth Ruland on vocals, keys and atmosphere.
With Carcostic, Morris has released a short-but-sweet record that has a through line of grunge underpinnings. Fantastically riff-based, the album serves as a great reminder of what Morris can craft, and reinforces the fact that you don’t need a large budget to make a compelling album or track. Any detriment the album may have can be overlooked by the “get stuck in your head” numbers, such as “Void.”
Check the album out for yourself by going to Asa Morris’ Bandcamp page.
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