John
Moreland doesn’t have the answers, and he’s not sure anyone does. But he’ s still curious,
basking in the comfort of a question, and along the way, those of us listening feel moved to ask
our own. “I don’t ever want to sound like I have answers, because I don’t,” he says. “These songs
are all questions. Everything I write is jus t trying to figure stuff out.”
Moreland
is discussing his new album Birds in the Ceiling a nine song collection that offers the
most comprehensive insight into the thoughts and sounds swimming around in his head to date.
A compelling blend of acoustic folk and avant garde pop playfulness, Birds in the Ceiling lives
confidently in a space of its own, enriched by tradition but never encumbered by it. The
songwriting that has stunned fans and critics alike since 2015’s High on Tulsa Heat remains
p otent, while the sonic evolution that unfolds on the record feels like a natural expansion of 2020’s
acclaimed LP5
The
New Yorker Pitchfork Fresh Air Paste GQ and others have embraced Moreland’s
meditative songs, while performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert CBS This
Morning NPR Tiny Desk Concert and more have introduced Moreland to millions. And yet, while
the Tulsa based Moreland is grateful for the respect and musical conversation he’s now having
with people around the world, he is also more focused on the idea of just talking to one person
or even himself. “Through the years, I’ve felt like II’m increasingly talking to myself in my songs,
more and more,” he says. “Maybe in the past, I wasn’t aware of it, but now, I am. I think doing that
has helped me be less hard on myself, which makes you more generous and compassionate in
general.”