Scott Moran described himself as a ‘former’ musician, intent on not making any more music. Then his daughter Charlotte came along.
By Graeme Smith
In her infancy, she displayed a natural inclination towards music, and the pair would happily play around on Ableton. She would giggle hearing her own voice looping back.
Then her court-restrained mother abducted her and took her out of the country. Moran is now locked in a battle to find her and bring her home.
To process the feelings that this difficult journey has caused, Moran has thrown himself back into music, creating a diary-like album called Sixth of the Six.
The title refers to Charlotte’s birthday, and the release of the album was set to coincide with the date. It consists of twelve tracks – one for every month of the year – shortlisted from a pool of over 300.
To say Sixth of the Six is a powerful album would be an understatement. Even without knowing the story behind it, it hits hard. Moran has a way with words surpassed by few artists I’ve encountered, and the poetry, wordplay, metaphor, and imagery used in his album is breath-taking.
Instrumentally, things are diverse. Title track Sixth of the Six gets things going in a funky, urgent, country-infused style. God Put Teeth On The Moon adds a Muse-like rock opera edge. Pain is Just a Collapsing is dark and acoustic, reminiscent of Tom McRae. It’s all grounded in an approachable pop rock style which means that the diversity doesn’t sound disparate.
Each track spills out through narrative and catharsis. Previously released single Systems proves a startling highlight thanks to its children’s choir chorus about the indifference of bureaucracy. The heartbreak is palpable in the little things like a missed Christmas in Christmas Morning or a hopeful spare key in Spare Key. The cacophony of Last Chorus is another highlight.
It’s terrible this album had to be made. I really feel for Moran and his daughter. Yet, I feel as if creating Sixth of the Six has allowed him to keep going and provides a vehicle for him to share his story with the world. Let’s hope for a happy ending, and that Charlotte someday hears the love the has clearly gone into this album.
If you want to keep up to date with Scott Moran’s story, you can by heading to his website.
Sixth of the Six is out now and you can listen to it below.
