Singing Saw (album)

Singing Saw is the third studio album by American indie rock musician Kevin Morby, released on April 15, 2016 on Dead Oceans.[1]

Singing Saw
Studio album by
Kevin Morby
ReleasedApril 15, 2016
Recorded2015-2016 at Isokon Studios in Woodstock, New York
Genre
Length43:25
LabelDead Oceans
ProducerSam Cohen
Kevin Morby chronology
Still Life
(2014)		 Singing Saw
(2016)		 City Music
(2017)
Singles from Singing Saw
  1. "I Have Been to the Mountain"
    Released: February 9, 2016
  2. "Dorothy"
    Released: March 24, 2016
  3. "Destroyer"
    Released: April 13, 2016

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[2]
Metacritic84/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Consequence of SoundB[5]
Mojo[6]
NME4/5[7]
The Observer[8]
Pitchfork8.3/10[9]
PopMatters8/10[10]
Q[11]
Record Collector[12]
Uncut9/10[13]

Singing Saw received widespread critical acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 84, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim ".[3]

Mark Richardson of Pitchfork praised the album, stating, "Singing Saw is his strongest album because it shows a process of refinement, and because Morby’s songwriting has become less referential and more grounded. The basic ingredients haven’t changed, but Morby is figuring out how to retain and amplify his strongest points—his weary and wise voice, his understanding of how the musical pieces fit together—and leave everything else behind. On his debut, Morby’s voice cracked in places, suggesting effort that transcended ability, but Singing Saw finds him cool and controlled at every turn, fully aware of his limitations but confident in what he can accomplish within them. His singing is simultaneously intimate and distant, part conversation and part stylized monologue. Single lines don’t really stand out, but Morby’s commitment to such elemental concerns has a cumulative effect, and the album’s lack of specificity becomes a strength."[9]

Accolades
Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
23
[14]
Pitchfork The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2016 2016 N/A
[15]
The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
34
[16]
Readers' Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016
37
[17]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2016
28
[18]
The Skinny Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016
44
[19]
Uncut Top 75 Albums of 2016 2016
50
[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kevin Morby.

No.TitleLength
1."Cut Me Down"3:32
2."I Have Been to the Mountain"3:14
3."Singing Saw"7:15
4."Drunk and on a Star"4:18
5."Dorothy"5:08
6."Ferris Wheel"3:05
7."Destroyer"4:26
8."Black Flowers"5:47
9."Water"6:40
Total length:43:25

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Singing Saw.[21]

Main personnel
  • Kevin Morby – guitar, vocals, piano
  • Sam Cohen – guitar, bass, keyboards, drums
  • Marco Benevento – piano (2, 3, 5, 8, 9), keyboards (2, 3, 5, 8, 9)
  • John Andrews – singing saw (1, 3)
  • Alec Spiegelman – saxophone (4, 7), flute (4, 7)
  • Eliza Bagg – strings (1, 4, 7, 9)
  • Oliver Hill – strings (1, 4, 7, 9)
  • Cole Kamen-Green – trumpet (2, 5, 9)
  • Justin Sullivan – drums (2-4), percussion (2-4)
  • Nick Kinsey – drums (2, 5, 7-9), percussion (2, 5, 7-9)
  • Alecia Chakour – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7-9)
  • Hannah Cohen – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7-9)
  • Lauren Balthrop – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7-9)
Additional personnel
  • Sam Cohen – production, additional engineering
  • Jeff Lipton – mastering
  • D. James Goodwin – engineering, mixing
  • John Thayer – assistant engineering
  • Maria Rice – assistant mastering engineering
  • Dusdin Condren – photography
  • Miles Johnson – design

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 104
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[23] 158
French Albums (SNEP)[24] 182
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References
  1. Camp, Zoe (2016-01-19). "Kevin Morby (Woods, the Babies) Announces Solo Album Singing Saw and Tour". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  2. "Singing Saw by Kevin Morby reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  3. "Reviews for Singing Saw by Kevin Morby". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  4. Sendra, Tim. "Singing Saw – Kevin Morby". AllMusic. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  5. Sackllah, David (April 12, 2016). "Kevin Morby – Singing Saw". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  6. Fyfe, Andy (June 2016). "Kevin Morby: Singing Saw". Mojo (271): 91.
  7. Homewood, Ben (April 15, 2016). "Kevin Morby – 'Singing Saw'". NME. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  8. Mardles, Paul (April 17, 2016). "Kevin Morby: Singing Saw review – cryptic lyrics, gorgeous melodies". The Observer. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  9. Richardson, Mark (April 15, 2016). "Kevin Morby: Singing Saw". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  10. Dieringer, Ryan (April 18, 2016). "Kevin Morby: Singing Saw". PopMatters. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  11. Segal, Victoria (July 2016). "Lone Star". Q (360): 108.
  12. Kennedy, Jake (April 2016). "Kevin Morby – Singing Saw". Record Collector (452). Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  13. Watts, Peter (May 2016). "Kevin Morby: Singing Saw". Uncut (228): 68.
  14. "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  15. "The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  16. "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  17. "Pitchfork Readers' Poll Results 2016". Pitchfork. December 19, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  18. "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  19. "Top 50 Albums of 2016". The Skinny. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  20. "Top 75 Albums of 2016". Uncut. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  21. Singing Saw (LP liner notes). Kevin Morby. Dead Oceans. 2016. DOC111.CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. "Ultratop.be – Kevin Morby – Singing Saw" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  23. "Ultratop.be – Kevin Morby – Singing Saw" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  24. "Lescharts.com – Kevin Morby – Singing Saw". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
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