Australian country songwriter Morgan Evans sets out to explore his childhood memories with this one. “Forgiving You For Me” maps out his internal souvenirs set to a pedal steel riff. The candour set the tone for the rest of the record: polished hooks, splendid serenity and sincerity over metaphor. Evans is a master at creating atmospheres: this is an album that’s alternately hot and cold, anguish and appetite. “So, before I break my back, I buckle at the knees,” he whispers.
Rather than wash himself in the braggadocio favoured by Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, this songwriter takes a humbler stance on introspection. His words take on a more amorous yearning, especially throughout “The Farm”, where a hopeless romantic devotes the entirety of his possessions for a night of bliss.
“Land I Love” is filled with lengthy, lovelorn pontifications about his surroundings: a simple, Meg White-esque drum accentuates the passion in his voice. The chiming strings bring a rustic element to the tune, and “Beer Back Home” is occasionally deployed in distinctly country shuffles and hoots. “Steel Town” is unfortunate enough to share the same title as a Big Country classic, and measured against the Scottish rocker, Evans’ piece sounds small and elfin.
The title track is bouncy and playful, soundtracked by a radio commentator celebrating the working-class lifestyle that built this city. There is a lot of very picaresque adventurism, particularly on the harmonica embellished “Two Broken Hearts”, aided and abetted by Laci Kaye Booth as a harmony singer. In terms of schematics, “Two Broken Hearts” veers into whimsy and tongue-in-cheek. In fact, the humour coats the composition: a rattling drum etching the confines of a heart, as the words detail a cessation of friendship. One thing Steel Town has going for it is instrumentation and a variety of guitar textures.
“Another Drink Coming” opens with a Hawaiian riff, backed by brittle drums and cymbals. “She Talks About Texas”, in converse to the name, is soaked in British influences; imagine Dave Davies and Steve Harris composing together, and this is it. Sound collage “Back to Country” is lit up with bird chirps and ghostly scats. William Barton is listed as a writer on “Back to Country”, yet the majority of the soundcraft belongs to Morgan Evans.
Piano ballad “Settle It Down” is incredible, dealing nakedly with adolescent demonstrations, foolish endeavours that are swiftly replaced by mature inflections. Guitars and bass guitars emerge during the instrumental passages, details that aid the excitement. “Settle It Down” begins as a straightforward lounge tune before the instruments edge forward, embellishing the backdrop; the brakes come in as the organs become de trop. Evans evidently demoed the songs on one instrument before introducing others as overdubs, so the sonics never suffer.
One can sense Evans crying at the end of every take, such is the commitment to the cause. Lyrically ambitious and driven by a desire to commit the past to vinyl, Steel Town is a brave work from the artist. There are faults to be found. “Another Drink Coming” repeats the chorus one time too often, and the singer sounds uncomfortable with the key changes in “Letting You Go”.
Putting those comments aside, Morgan Evans’ Steel Town is a summery project; a record to be played on long evenings and warm days. What could have been an album of cock-strutting and arpeggios is a dainty and clearly defined record from a man exploring his past. By confronting his recent history, the songwriter shifts into storytelling, pivoting into mythology. Art begets art, feelings between form and music linger on.