ten and six - patterns

Ten and Six

Patterns
self-released; 2014

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Evan Morgan the multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter for the project Ten and Six is on to something with his recent release Patterns. It’s one of those releases that don’t fit nice and snug into one particular genre but feels like bits and parts from various styles. Morgan creates layered pieces of music that sprawl and feel lush. He has some indie rock tendencies that are covered in atmospheric noise. Maybe if Stars Of The Lid tried playing indie rock this is what it would sound like. The best way to understand the music other than listening to it is analyzing the individual songs.

Morgan starts off with the eight-plus minute “Intro & Janus.” The song starts off minimally and progressively adds more instrumentation before his vocals come in. An acoustic guitar, a reverb-laced electric guitar and a piano create a powerful drone of noise that swells. Once the vocals enter Morgan pulls back some of the instrumentation. The song ends up becoming a hypnotic concoction of sounds that instill a sense of wonder and nostalgia.

“Mercutio Two” introduces some drums into the mix and is more akin to indie rock. What I really enjoyed about the song was the layers of sounds he implements. There are some pretty great clean guitar parts but I was more into the transitions that build walls of white noise. Morgan even manages to incorporate a catchy vocal line, which took care of that itch.

The most disparate track and perhaps the most beautiful is an instrumental piece called ‘En Violet.” It revolves around the piano while a sustained hum creates the ambience. 

The almost ten-minute long “Junky, Harvey” returns to an indie rock type vibe. It initially is pretty minimal with drums and bass supporting his vocal melody. It isn't long before a long concoction of notes emanating from perhaps an organ or a synth fills up the remaining space. The song builds things up only to tear it down. It is a well-done piece that rides that bass line till the end.

Morgan ends with an ambient piece that puts an acoustic guitar front and center. It’s relatively short compared to some of the other tracks and was a smooth way to end the EP.

The one thing that could have been better at times was the production. By no means was it bad but sometimes I felt as if the vocals could have been treated better and some of the instruments needed minor tweaking in the mix. That being said Morgan makes some pretty awesome unique music that for me was a pleasure to listen to.