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When a band releases their debut EP in March and gets so much positive
press that their first full length comes out a mere 6 months later,
you know it's something worth checking out. Well, the band The
Morning Light released The Sounds Of Love EP in March 2008
and as promised their first self-titled full length was released on
September 2008. But it wasn't until after I gave this band a listen
or two that I realized, yes, they were worth checking out.
If you take a look at their album art, it's very bright, multi-colored,
and definitely circa 1970. And when you jump into the first song "Wake
Up!" you see that their music is just that: very bright, multi-colored
and yes, circa 1970. The piano that morphs into an electronic organ,
coupled with a few cleverly placed "la la la"s and even
the brief horn involvement, brings back many Monkees memories.
To make it all better, the lyrics are so simple, yet addictive enough
that I can see myself literally waking up to this song every morning.
Okay, so you're up, out of bed and in a rather good mood. Next comes
"Done Writing Love Songs," because naturally after a cup
of coffee, you think about love that's no longer there. Sure, why
not. Regardless of the theme of this song, the brightly colored melodies
are still there. The beat's a bit stronger between the drums and bass,
but the poppy vocals go just as nicely with the horns as when they
all were first introduced. Now you're walking out the door and you
need a song that puts a little bounce in your step. A perfect song
for that is: "Happy-Now." The beginning starts out with
an awesome Charlie Brown-style piano and our favorite "la
la"s. But, you only get a few steps before the beat is struck
up quite a bit faster; all leading into a chorus that goes a little
like this: the punk from New Found Glory mixed with a Fall
Out Boy tempo and harmonies out of a Panic! At The Disco
song. I know... I didn't believe it either until it came up again
(as choruses do) near the end. By the end of this song, you'd no longer
be walking, but skipping. So now you're at work and need a song to
keep the smile going, but nothing too crazy, that would be "Have
You Tonight". The piano and percussion lead-in is priceless and
sets a bluesy tone to this song. Drawing out the lyrics and quieting
down the guitars keeps the tone going. To top it off is a brass section,
including what seems to be a trombone, and is so perfect that John
Coltrane would be proud. The day's ending and so does the album
with "Movin' Along". This time we're doing it with a bit
more rhythm. The brass section is back and it helps to keep this song
from getting depressing; because if you listen to the lyrics you realize
they are really about the loss of someone special. You think you've
got the song figured out, that is until about half way through when
everything changes, the bass takes lead with a very electronic deep,
almost angry feel. However when the ending starts, the vocals become
so strong and powerful. It's very much a proclamation of the fact
that the singer is ready to move on. And a sensual set of "da
da da"s take us out to the end.
It's really easy to categorize this band from just the first song,
but you wouldn't be doing them justice. The Morning Light has figured
out a way to combine all the great elements of popular bands from
past and present into a nicely colored album.
-Rachel Fredrickson
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