Those of you wallowing in depression over the delay of Starflyer 59's Gold album, take heart. Morella's Forest is coming with another strong dose of shoe-gazing noise pop to tide you over.
"And what is 'shoe gazing noise pop'?" you may ask. The origins of the term are unclear, but the Jesus and Mary Chain are as likely a candidate as any to tack the beginnings of this particular phrase. Shoe-gazer bands are known for, well, staring at their feet. When the Jesus and Mary Chain first began to play they had stage fright to the point that they would play with their backs to the audience. It was the only way they could survive the experience. They've now reached the point of their careers where they can face their audiences, but they still play standing virtually motionless and expressionless, staring at their feet. They were the first generation of those known as shoegazers, and the term has now expanded beyond the Chain to include the entire genre of music.
Shoe-gazers are the anti-heroes of modern rock. There is no flash, no glam. Guitar solos are rare, if they exist at all. Shoe-gazer noise pop isn't about dazzling audiences with skill, it's about overwhelming the audience in a gently undulating ocean of sound. Think overdriven guitars dripping with effects; droning, hypnotic bass lines; simple melodies and ethereal vocals peering out through it all. Think Starflyer 59, My Bloody Valentine, and Mazzy Star. Done poorly, it's just a confusing mess of noise. Done well, it will waft you off to a world all its own. Morella's Forest does it pretty well.
I think what keeps them from doing it exceptionally well can be traced, at least partly, to producers Steve Hindalong and Chris Colbert. Both are excellent producers, and they have by no means done a bad job here, but I just don't think they really get the shoegazing vibe. I know for sure that the produced version of "Oceania" has lost much of the strength of the independent version. Next time out, Morella's Forest would do much better to pursue the services of either Ronnie or Jason Martin.
Okay. So you pop the disc into your player and hit play. "Hang-Out" comes working its merry way out of the speakers. Hmm, you think, not bad. Jump to track two. Yow. This is good! The difference? Morella's Forest is an average band when they play loud. They are, however, an exceptional band when they kick back, relax, and let the melodies and Sydney's vocals do the work. She can sing me a lullaby any time. Oh. Did I fail to mention that Morella's Forest has a female vocalist? Oops.
Tooth & Nail is expecting a lot from this band, and I think they're going to get it. This is a good debut from a band that's only going to get better.
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2001Reviewed by Andrew OlsonMorella's Forest is a band from Dayton, Ohio. Their music is very interesting to listen to. It's beautiful and swirling dreamy chords with beautiful female vocals, much like My Bloody Valentine. Their songs are built over an odd backdrop of experimental noise. I think this band is just awesome. The songs on Super Deluxe are pretty fuzzy. It's like, would someone please get rid of all that static?…Similar sounding releases
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