Moses Sumney: Dwell in the Dark

 

The belly of the beast is sometimes the warmest place of the body. Hearing Moses Sumney’s voice for the first time, I was thrown to a place  reminiscent of coddling and fear- the hollow decadence that comes out as his singing plummeted me into vulnerability, leaving me totally exposed. Unsurprisingly from the first heard quiver of his vibrato I felt completely safe.  I was struck in my tracks by its humbling huskiness. I still haven’t recovered- I’m happily addicted to the depths in which his voice reaches into me.

“Dwell in the Dark” is a spoonful of soulful beauty. My shoulders move  as I listen, digging into the air, and his heavy lyrics remind me of a time without deadlines and nervous nail biting. I want to bathe in the  warm California sun or in the arms of someone in the future I'll love. I am compliant, almost malleable and I welcome it. That’s the power and beauty found in seemingly simplistic guitar chords. Sumney reaches for notes with a voice reminiscent to Otis Redding in tenderness,  and I reach out, too- a helping hand and a push of sincerity.  I want to put it in my pocket and smile it out of teeth all day.

His sound leaves me with the image of a deep purple African violet like the one that used to sit on my grandparent's windowsill. I’d watch as it rained, wondering how the petals would react if the cool water touched.

https://soundcloud.com/mosessumney/dwell-in-the-dark-stripped