by Calvin Staropoli (@cal_staro)
Not much is known about the North Carolinian singer-songwriter Justin Morris, aka Sluice, but through his music we can learn that he is someone deeply connected to both nature and to the people he loves, and uses both of these to help him search for a deeper meaning to it all. On his latest album, Radial Gate, he continues the existential exploration he started on his self-titled debut with a collection of multi-phased folk epics, packed with nuanced sound layering and lyrics that linger with you long after the album is over.
Radial Gate has two distinct sounds it flips between. First, there’s the upbeat indie folk of tracks like “Centurion” and “Mill”. As Morris talks about flying on a speedboat on “Centurion,” the driving drums propel it forward like a motor. There are subtle layers of noise that are easy to miss, until they suddenly culminate into a wailing, cathartic guitar solo at the end. “Mill” follows a similar structure. Its bouncy beat and catchy vocal melodies give way to a noisy outro, with some playful saxophone thrown in to smooth everything out.
Then there’s the other side of this record; the restrained, simmering tracks like “Fourth of July” and “New Leicester”. These songs are not concerned with traditional structure, as they move seamlessly from one idea to another. Morris lets them be whatever they need to be. “New Leicester” starts with a quiet church organ, with the creaking of the instrument becoming part of the soundscape itself. Guitar and drums eventually creep in, but the song maintains a tranquil feeling through to the last verse. By incorporating field recordings, deep bass, and the Indian drone instrument known as a shruti, Morris creates a meditative atmosphere for these tracks. It makes these stories and images he shares feel deeper, even spiritual.
Lyrically, Morris combines dream-like imagery with personal anecdotes about relationships, nature, and giving yourself to life. Listening to Radial Gate feels like reading through both Morris' personal diary and his dream journal at the same time. An image Morris returns to repeatedly on this record is water. Nearly every track makes reference to being in or around water. One moment he’s skinny dipping with his friends, then he’s riding a speedboat, and then he’s waiting in line for breaststroke at the middle school pool. All these memories flow into one another, giving the record itself a fluid quality. In fact, the album title itself is referring to a type of floodgate. Water seems to have some almost spiritual meaning to Morris. He sees water as a connecting force between himself and the people he loves, and also between his most significant memories. Near the end of closing track “New Leicester,” he proclaims that the best way to live your life is to “go to sleep on an intertube”. He doesn’t feel the need to force anything to happen. Simply put, he goes with the flow.
Radial Gate is a meditative, existential ride down the river of Justin Morris’ life. As the album itself flows freely between images, ideas and stories, we’re swept away, even if it doesn’t always make perfect sense. What does make sense is Morris’ love of nature and his belief that being outside with people you love is the closest one can come to spiritual enlightenment. It’s hard to disagree.