Archive for the ‘The Morning Light’ Category
The Morning Light – Self Titled
The Morning Light strikes again with the release of their debut album. Consisting of bright vibrant tracks and mellow sombre tunes, it is a concoction of great sounding music. Much like a blend of fast paced powerpop with hints of earthy undertones, it is their originality that truly shines throughout. I was completely satisfied with all the included songs of old as well as the wealth of new material. With simple and wholesome music, The Morning Light is like a pot roast on a Sunday night, just perfect for the occasion.
What exactly has changed in this album as compared to their first EP, The Sound Of Love? While the same inviting quality is reoccurring, there is obvious maturity in their musical talent. Using a variety of instruments the music suddenly became livelier and fuller. Right off the bat, The Morning Light shows off their new sound with Wake Up! Littered with infectious upbeat mannerisms, it is a perfect introduction to the album. Besides having fasted paced and exciting instrumentals of the usual variety (guitar, bass drums), there are moments of trumpet, keys and the works. More importantly the vocals remain top notch; perfectly pitched, warm and welcoming. Wake Up! tops the more vibrant end of the spectrum, whereas The Morning Light also offers a variety of mellow tracks.
When you get to songs like Virginia or Follow Me Home, we begin to see the other aspects of The Morning Light come into play. Virginia is a down to earth track, which retains a lot of upbeat qualities. Sounding much like a lullaby, it is essentially a serenade that isn’t exactly sad, but happy. The vocals are the key factor in this song that give off that excellent mellow vibe. With high pitched vocals, and a very soft style of singing, the song becomes refreshingly trance-like. Virginia is a great example of how The Morning Light steps out of the norms of a modern pop rock band, to produce music that’s different yet presumptuously pop. Follow Me Home on the other hand does have the qualities of the other songs with its high-action sound; however there is a serious demeanour underlying the song. Not exactly a mellow track nor an upbeat one, it is high in intensity but sombre in nature.
The album plays host to many other exciting gems for The Morning Light. Track eight, Honest (Apologies Endless), is a just a classic song, that is incredibly catchy and meaningful. Definitely a notable track, it includes one of the nicest chorus lines on the album. I also enjoyed the deliciously tex-mex instrumentals to start off the track and thought it added to the mystique of the music. The vocals are again superb and I absolutely love the fast-paced delivery of the verse transitioned into a soulful and energetic chorus. Honest is definitely something a little out of the ordinary and makes me appreciate The Morning Light that much more.
The Morning Light should be checked out for their extravagant pop or their earthy rock. It’s their indie outlook on pop rock that’s definitely new and exciting for me as a listener. While I’ll admit I don’t normally listen to this brand of music, it might just be a case of never hearing a sound like The Morning Light. The EP was something entirely different, and this album really flourishes and shows the growth and maturity of the band. A fantastic debut, it was completely unexpected, but fulfilled on all levels of expectation.
Check out their Myspace for official tour dates and album info.
The Morning Light – The Sound Of Love
The Morning Light is a five piece from Pittsburgh, specializing in mellow pop-rock that remains soulful, but fun. A label mate of recently reviewed band, The Maine, The Morning Light has just released The Sound of Love through Fearless records. I was able to pick up the EP at HMV, surprisingly, and after a couple of listens, I deemed it amazing. Their brand of pop-rock has the Fearless record trademark of being fun and catchy, but it’s actually quite the opposite of Fearless record hopefuls, The Maine.
The EP starts off with a mellow song “The Love”, which features a soothing melody and reflective lyrics. The key attribute that shoots The Morning Light into stardom is the soft, slightly high-pitched, but talented vocals of Bobby. Normally the vocals would seem whiny, but it matches very well with the style of music being played. The instrumentals are driven by soft percussions, an acoustic guitar and incredibly addictive hand claps. Combined is a song that isn’t as complete as the rest of the album, but only in the sense that the song is more soulful and less upbeat.
“Your Not Mine,” is a better representative of what The Morning Light is all about. The general direction of the song is still mellower and less upbeat than the typical pop rock sound, but the instrumentals are much fuller and vibrant. That isn’t to say that The Morning Light is emo, because they are anything but, instead they offer more memorable, expressive music. The drums are louder, the guitars are on overdrive, and the presence of a keyboard truly put this song over the top.
The EP consists of much of the same, but the song “Clouds” is probably what has made me a huge fan of The Morning Light. “Clouds” breaks free of the EP by unleashing a fiery of upbeat, moving music. Definitely the most upbeat song from The Sound Of Love, it offers a dangerously catchy verse, followed by an even further addictive chorus. The backing vocals are just as memorable as the lead, and overall the song feels really complete and well produced. When The Morning Light releases a full length album, I would assume they might include this song on it as it has HIT writing all over it. It’s already a favourite amongst those who have only started listening to The Morning Light.
The Sound of Love is a solid first effort that I feel will transcend into a great full length album in the future. While I think some of the songs on this EP are a tad short of brilliant, I do feel that they are noteworthy. I think the EP is worth checking out as it’s an honest mellow approach to pop rock.
Check out their Myspace for official tour dates and future album info.
Buy The Sound Of Love from amazon.ca
