MORNING TOURIST
The Endless Eve
(Blaggers Records)
Debut albums are a tricky business. They’re a mark in time, a definitive sound striding confidently into the ears of an audience of unknowable size. A moment for originality to shine through without being so experimental it terrifies the masses and leads you forever into the realm of a cult classic, or carving a path into a niche that defies perspective and narrows the farther into it you travel.
Taking a metaphorical leap, Morning Tourist (Sean McKinney) has landed well toward the centre of Alt Folk. With a comfortable and familiar sound this is by no means a challenging listen, it echoes through hallways built by those who came before. Time will tell if this is a sound that’s going to evolve into something of its own. ‘The Endless Eve’ is brimming with promise, there’s a very obvious talent behind the composition, lyrically it ticks all the right boxes, but it’s lacking in originality. It’s Elliott Smith filled with sunny afternoon optimism and whilst that’s not in anyway a bad thing, to these ears there’s something missing.
It’s a perfectly acceptable album, it’s the kind of music you could play to a mixed crowd and not risk a raised eyebrow or the soundtrack you need to drive a particularly bendy road, a remedy for the anxiety-inducing silence without ever diverting your attention from the task at hand. Perfect for an early evening BBC drama soundtrack.
I’m not going to discourage anyone from listening to it, but maybe stream it first.
