my morning jacket is an american rock band known for their reverb-heavy sound
their eclectic mix of country rock, indie rock, funk, psychedelic and southern rock styles
...and enthusiastic and energetic live shows
this is the opening paragraph of the band's wiki entry
i've been aware of them for some time but hadn't paid much attention
however their brand-spanking new album is in my possession
and curiousity has got the better of me - so here we go...
evil urges
yup - it's a rock band for sure - big drum sound and straight-up guitar
some interesting electronica in the mix sounding like um?
falsetto voice comes in also sounding familiar - but who?
synth-orchestration also used as the tune builds to something
then a sudden change of key, tempo and a rock-out - not too bad
touch me i'm going to scream part 1
this is going to get annoying - another tune sounding like ?
moog noises, 60's kind of harmonies pointing to influences
snare drum up-front in this quite fast-paced singalong
one striking thing is that there are a lot of channels at use
all sorts of instruments and noise-makers at use - working well
highly suspicious
there's that falsetto voice again - michael jackson-ish
and here we have a heavy-rock dirge type riff dominant
a bunch of fellows repeating the song title over and over and...
electric guitar histronics thrown in the mix just for good measure
quite a catchy tune but also quite annoying - bit of a throwaway really
i'm amazed
nice intro - giving a sense of a singalong tune about to start up
and true enough - off he goes - he's amazed you see
damn - it's another case of a significant soundalike
west coast rock, vocals, harmonies, guitar/bass/drums
it's a rock song with guitar solos and a riff and a chorus
thank you too!
ouch - now we're in 70's soft-rock territory
it's the big ballad complete with strings, electric piano, etc
now sounding so much like a band from way back it's really annoying
this one would be really cringe-worthy except it's quite a tribute
i'm going to wake up in the middle of the night and know who to
sec walkin
country-rock is now the reference - pedal-steel guitar in there
70's production values all over this one also
complete with the call and response female backup vocals
it's so close to a complete piss-take it's almost laughable
but it's not - they mean it - and actually get away with it
two halves
and the theme continues - the 70's rule - alright?
i'm certain there is one famous band that they idolise
actually cheap trick wouldn't be far off the mark - yup that's it
which is quite ironic really considering they were proud plagarists
so the favour has well and truely been returned in spades
librarian
lovely - solo voice and acoustic guitar lead in here
and a very pleasant voice it is too - very clear on the ear
karen of the carpenters singing in the rain - another lovely victim of the mirror
so confirming their decade of choice on this slow build tune
very strong actually - great production and a memorable tune
look at you
uh-oh - must be the middle of the album - ish
not sure what was intended with this one - original or clone?
it's slow, monotonous, and basically a bit of a waste of space
the musicians seem to be going through the (slow) motions
can be totally summed up in one word - filler
aluminium park
resuming cheap trick personnas on this fast and furious tune
another rocker complete with screeching guitars and real piano
which just confirms that the 70's must be making a comeback
or maybe they just like the style of music of that era
my feeling is that this one has been done to death previously
remnants
part 2 of the rock-out segment of the album
sounds just the same to these ears out of touch with that style
sorry guys but this just isn't very original at all
and the producer also shows a distinct lack of originality
enough already - rock is ok - in (smaller) doses
smokin' from shootin'
do you, do you, do you see my smokin' guns - they're smokin' from shootin'
and a bunch of other lyrics as equally silly and trite
do you, do you, do you live your life on the run - runnin' from nothin'
so it's another big shot at a big meaningful ballad
they're now taking themselves seriously enough to be annoying
touch me i'm going to scream part 2
moog sounds, electronica noodling working quite well as an intro
beat picks up and it's quite a head-nodding tune that cranks in
spacey production allows for various instruments to be used
and lots of borrowed techniques - even jean michel jarre gets a nod
in the end it's totally consistent with the 70's sound of all before
summary - a collection of tunes with reference to all things 70's including the likes of cheap trick that with modern recording techniques makes for a very strong and enjoyable album
