Darkening Green by Tamar Korn and Kyle Morgan

"When Tamar Korn and Kyle Morgan blend their gorgeous voices, something very special, even magical, happens." - Wide Open Country

“Sublime…transcendent.” - Wall Street Journal about Tamar Korn

“Morgan’s acoustic folk songs are universally appealing.” - Bandcamp Daily

"When Tamar Korn and Kyle Morgan blend their gorgeous voices, something very special, even magical, happens." - Wide Open Country

“Sublime… transcendent” (Wall Street Journal) NYC vocal treasure Tamar Korn and “strong writing” (Under the Radar) Brooklyn singer-songwriter Kyle Morgan (aka Starcrossed Losers) have teamed up for Darkening Green, a superb album of acoustic duets, featuring songs by Leonard Cohen, the Carter Family, Gillan Welch and David Rawlings, Iris Dement, the Everly Brothers, and more.

“Life’s Railway To Heaven,” a song that comes from the repertoires of the Carter Family, Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, Bill Monroe, Merle Haggard, and Patsy Cline, whose rendition first caught their ear. It was one of the first songs that the duo sang together, immediately recognizing something special in their intertwined voices. “Even within that song, we're waxing and waning, and that's one of my favorite feelings, is when you can really lock in harmonically, but then also kind of play against each other,” says Morgan.

One of NYC’s unsung musical heroes for the past quarter-century and a Brooklyn Folk Fest favorite, the southern California-born Korn is known as much for singing early jazz and Yiddish music as roots music. NY Times has praised her “smartly mewling” singing.

Morgan grew up in an evangelical Christian church in central Pennsylvania. Bandcamp Daily said, “Morgan’s acoustic folk songs are universally appealing” while Under the Radar opined, “Morgan is grounded in the tradition of acoustic singer/songwriters, but shows a penchant for particularly strong writing.” Morgan’s previous album, 2022’s Younger at Most Everything album came out via Team Love Records.

Morgan first moved to NYC because of Jalopy Theatre, first experiencing the scene via the Brooklyn Folk Fest. “I’ve been a fan of Kyle's songwriting since I heard it,” says Korn, inviting him to sit in with her on a few shows at Barbes and Jalopy. She continues, “Then it just became a really lovely feeling to harmonize together. It's kind of old-time inspired harmonies, but with a little modern-ish touches.”

Take “Everything Is Free.” Mutual friend and label mate Wyndham Baird brought the Gillian Welch and David Rawlings song to the duo and they invited him to sing the first verse. It comes out as a single June 16. It sounds both ancient and current (tackling the topics of concerts and of recording payment, or lack thereof, in the streaming era).

One of Darkening Green’s highlights is “Anthem,” the apropos Leonard Cohen song that will serve as the third single July 15. Shifted from 3:4 time to 4:4, the song was the last recorded during the sessions. “We kind of threw it on towards the end because we had extra time, and so it was a little more rough around the edges in some ways. Yeah, it was a bit of the song that's the salve for just stretching out, like, okay, we've done the thing that we meant to do, and this is like, if it goes well, great,” recalls Korn.

Of the song, which captures the current historical moment, Kyle adds “It always feels appropriate.” Korn recalls her father, a classical violinist who grew up in Montreal, talking often about Leonard Cohen. She says, “I would cry learning that song, to have that kind of language in your mouth.

The wistful “Late September,” one of two Morgan originals, dates back to when he was 20 years old. It holds up alongside the stellar songwriting on the album. The other Morgan-penned song, “I’ve Had My Fun,” deals with what he calls his “love-hate relationship with alcohol” and was written on the eve of his moving to NYC.

Brooklyn Folk Fest founder Eli Smith suggested the Carter Family deep cut, “Winding Stream” with its wonderful surreal call, "do not disturb my waking dream." The Everly Brothers’ “Great Pretender” kicks off to the intertwined voices backed by just a stand-up bass.

Of Korn, Morgan says, “I think of you as an antenna channeling the divine source. Any artist to some degree you can say that about, but you especially, it’s special.” Tamar grew up playing classical piano. First moving to NYC for college to study theater, she found herself at a house party jam. Falling in with the musicians, she soon started singing New Orleans-style early jazz, eventually busking with them in Washington Square Park, the L train, and Columbus Circle to make rent, which turned into both weekly and one-off gigs.

Following his religious childhood, Morgan’s musical listening worked backwards from rock to roots, Wilco to the high lonesome sound. He says, “I'm obsessed with the Louvin Brothers and that really close kind of high harmony.”

In William Blake's poem "The Echoing Green", "darkening green" signifies the end of the day, the fading of youthful joy, and the approach of night or old age. It contrasts with the earlier "echoing green," which symbolizes the vibrant, lively childhood and springtime of life.