Morning Bear - “Splitting of the Wood”
Photo by Meesh Deyden
Denver, Colorado-based singer-songwriter John Runnels, aka Morning Bear, returns to the scene with “Splitting of the Wood,” his first release in six years.
The song fades in with some orchestral synth and a steady pulse provided by a subdued kick drum. Moments later, your ears shall be greeted by the impeccable sounds of a finger-plucked acoustic guitar, setting the tone for this delightfully stripped-back, diaphanous tune. The vibe here is moody and dark– exactly the way we prefer to consume music of the folk variety.
After a couple of cinematic and atmospheric measures, Runnels begins his delicate vocal delivery, effectively portraying the melancholic nature of a potential fork in the road of life. Listeners may find themselves clinging to the song’s pulsating rhythm as means to stay afloat in the vast sea of introspection, profoundly connecting with the lyrics as they ponder everything that has led to this exact moment.
While the subject matter is a major part of its appeal, the sonic textures that comprise “Splitting of the Wood” should not be overlooked. Ethereal sounds rise and fall over the progression of the track and it is not at all difficult to imagine it as part of the soundtrack to your life. Runnels lets his upper register shine on the second verse, carving a dynamic path towards the song’s glorious crescendo.
And in the final third of the track, do not be surprised if you have some sort of spiritual awakening as the orchestral elements elevate the production from the earthly plane, highlighting Runnels’ wonderful falsetto in a fantastic, dreamlike state of sound. If “Splitting of the Wood” is indicative of Morning Bear’s future releases, we are completely here for it.
Runnels explains: “This song is about hard work. In particular, that feeling when you have been grinding forward and sacrificing, but you are unable to tell if you’ve made any progress at all. It’s an ode to grit in the face of uncertainty. The almost hypnotic act of continuing forward, step by step, when the path ahead appears endless.”
-HD