Good Morning Midnight (Album) - Richie Syrett

A couple of years after the release of his self-titled debut (thanks to Richie for confirming that fact) came the follow-up album Good Morning Midnight. It fittingly continues to build on the foundations established by its predecessor, and showcases a nice steady progression in Syrett’s songwriting, as well as the arrangements. Consequently the album is more varied, but it retains the style and signature feel of the first one.

The album starts with ‘Wax On The Melt’ which continues the established trend of a slow build, leading into the first verse. Lyrically the song finds the narrator in a bad way, deprived of sleep and surrounded by his whole record collection, describing himself as a “vagrant” being discovered by someone who is “disappointed, not surprised though” to find him in such a state. Bass guitar adds a drone to the arrangement, which fittingly complements the moody lyrics.

The tone then shifts into something much lighter as the title track commences. ‘Good Morning Midnight’ sees Syrett’s usually low vocal resonance explore a higher register, which works well as it is accompanied by a much more jangly-guitar and also a harmonica. Although the lyrics themselves are somewhat juxtaposed by the tone, the song is much more accessible to casual listeners than the opening track. Next up is ‘Ten Past Ten’ which takes place during a reluctant travellers’ train journey, and the lyrics paint a very clear picture, conjuring up familiar images. The gently plucked guitar opening seems to emulate the sound of the tannoy systems at train stations, and the addition of a piano during the chorus, really makes for a catchy number that gets your fingers clicking in time to the rhythm.

Elsewhere there are a couple of slower numbers in ‘Sway’ and the broody ‘Sat On My Hands’. The former layers on the instrumentation in the now-conventional manner, while the latter is much sparser and has a very atmospheric feel. It sounds as though Syrett is singing from far away within a large echo-ey room, and the effect is very strong.

At the centre of the album there are re-workings of three tracks from the debut: ‘American Mud’, ‘Slipping’ and ‘Times Long Past’. All three songs have been trimmed down length-wise, and sound much more seasoned and self-assured. I was a little disappointed with the changes undergone by ‘Times Long Past’ but this is because I really like the slower, moodier version from the debut. All three songs now seem more attuned to live performances, so I can’t complain too much.

Then towards the end of the album comes my two absolute favourite tracks: ‘Business As Usual’ and ‘Stones In My Shoes’. Of these two my favourite has to be ‘Business As Usual’ (it was a very exciting day for me when I figured out how to play it). I can’t quite put my finger on why I rate this song so highly, but something about it just ticks all the right boxes with me; it might be the chorus, or more to the point the lead-in to the chorus (especially the drawn out reprise before the chorus comes around for the last time). ‘Stones In My Shoes’ has a much livelier beat, and also boasts a great chorus (and lead-in), whilst lyrically dealing with the unemployed/part-time lifestyle.

This brace of songs sit very well with me, and have ensured that this album continues to get played. The final two tracks are both solid enough, but for me the album has peaked already (not that this is a bad thing). I really enjoy Good Morning Midnight as it develops Syrett’s style very well, and leaves the door open for further development – which will hopefully not be too far off.