John Moreland: Birds in the Ceiling
Photo by Angelina Castillo
Walk into a room of Americana or singer/songwriter fans and say “John Moreland” and I guarantee you at least one person in the group will be ready to tell you why he’s the greatest living songwriter. Talk to a room of musicians, and you’ll likely hear “he’s a songwriter’s songwriter”. I’m in the latter camp, and I’ve heard a lot of others say the same. With some songs you hear a set of common words arranged in a way that changes what every word means, John Moreland does this like a wizard guarding the secrets that we all are trying to unlock.
When you’re looking at a catalog of songs by any artist, you will often have a few that stand out as “they can’t all be home runs”, Moreland frustratingly doesn’t seem to have any of these. There’s a skill that’s hard to hone, the difficulty becomes obvious when you realize how few manage to accomplish the task, “say the most with the least”. It’s this approach that doesn’t use a syllable more than needed to hit the hardest. With the previous release, LP5, it was clear that John was somehow getting more refined at the task at hand; with Birds in the Ceiling, any doubt that Moreland is a talent to be reckoned with is completely erased.
Sometimes it’s important to note that great art is often a reflection of the doubts and questions in a snapshot of time, seeking information rather than providing it. Birds in the Ceiling is a series just that, questions asked by a man who doesn’t have all, or maybe any of the answers. An album like this is difficult to pick pieces out of because it’s almost guaranteed that everyone will identify with a different piece. It’s the beauty of the poetic nature of John Moreland’s writing. That said, here are a few things that struck me.
The approach of “Claim Your Prize” hits particularly close to me, and I’m sure a lot of folks as we’re trying to make sense of any of this dystopian confusion. What happens when the American dream becomes a nightmare?
“I guess it’s a comfort living your delusion / It makes me sad to see the kind of drugs your using / Fear and anger, waves and waves of grief / I don’t know how you missed it, your hero is a thief”
The chorus that follows this heavy verse emphasizes the stresses of the lie.
“So come on down and claim your prize / It’s nothing like they advertise / No one makes it out alive”
“Birds in the Ceiling” closes the album, and it feels like it’s a final statement. The thoughts that chase us around get buried in the walls and ceiling, they become embedded and a normal part of our lives. Sometimes we’re dying in the noise and must escape.
“You built your house with the world burning down around you / Now that I think of it, I guess that’s what we all do / I want to build a new house high atop a mountain / Where you lock me in your kindness and never let me out”
The synthesizer humming bird noises in the background, it feels organic, and light, behind an absolutely black hole heaviness in the lyrics.
Musically, Birds in the Ceiling picks up where LP5 left off. Lyrically it’s a platform for thought in an age where admitting your confusion can be a liability. It’s a beautiful record that puts someone’s most difficult thoughts on display. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Moreland. There isn’t a note or word of disappointment here.
Birds in the Ceiling drops on July 22, 2022 and I can’t recommend enough to set real time aside to really take this record in, on your favorite listening platform. It deserves undivided attention. If you get a chance to see John on the road and miss it, you’ll regret it.
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