With a voice that signals his own calibre and prowess, Scottish song writer Kenneth Anthony Morton is a powerful and sombre voice in modern folk rock. There’s a cinematic quality to Morton’s songwriting, the kind that has embedded within it a veneer of gloriousness and opera even if the topic need not be as grandiose itself. It’s filmic, but also subtle. From the first chords of ‘This Town’, an almost Western influenced piece, Morton starts you on the journey of All the Yellow Fishes with a tune that’s both hazy and opulent.
The trend continues into ‘Heavier Than Lies’, an ominous and foreboding piece of folk rock that has Morton singing with a sense of care and fear while the building instrumental slowly starts to progress into something more and more as the arrangement begins to incorporate increasing features into it. It’s Morton’s deep, baritone voice that’s expressed with care and subtlety that makes All the Yellow Fishes so intriguing as a project. There’s more fun and upbeat pieces loaded with a childlike joy as well. ‘Mr Moonhead’ is delectably catchy and warm, an innocent and delightful piece of folk.
All the Yellow Fishes is an old school record from a storied artist. There’s intricacy in the arrangement and production that brings out today’s modernity while echoing the features of the past. But the star of the show is Morton’s own vocal performance. Fans of old school folk to the tune of Neil Young and his ilk will find a lot to love on this warm record.