Good Morning - Shawcross (Album Review)

 

Good Morning - Shawcross

(2014)


My copy: 2022 reissue on blue vinyl by Polyvinyl Recording Company.


Australian duo Good Morning gained a relative cult following in the wake of their debut EP Shawcross, which manages to carve its own stance on the assortment of then trendy psych-pop tropes that seemed to dominate indie music thanks largely to Connan Mockasin. Good Morning are inevitably compared to genre poster-boy Mac DeMarco though their take delves more into the lo-fi melancholy of Helvetia or The Clientele, and features slightly bolder writing ideas. 

The crystalline guitars of “Once You Know” seem to draw from the Kevin Parker produced Melody’s Echo Chamber, though sparser and with a lo-fi charm. The vocals are simple but relaxing, and the tone is warm and mellow as guitars trickle through very light jazz influence. Engulfed totally in dreaminess, “Don’t Come Home Today” teeters just slightly towards some aggression with defeated vocal shouts but everything releases to a reversed ambient mirage. “Warned You” jangles like The Feelies played at a slower speed, with dashes of RnB flavor and Clientele-esque noir harmonies. 

Spy music influenced “Cosmic Sass” is actually one of the most compelling tracks for the dystopian use of synth and dissonance, creeping subtly towards post-punk. “Time To Try Again” gives in to indie tropes and winds up feeling phoned in though “Wednesday” houses fun choruses. “Before My Ears Explode” again flirts with dissonance and edge in sharp guitar upstrokes, even edging close to the fiery density of heavy slowcore acts like Codeine in the end. 

Shawcross is an inventive but short proof of concept. It lingers somewhere between insecure and humble, though the risks it takes do pay off. It’s unfortunate that they are often stuck in the shadow of the much less sonically interesting DeMarco, because these guys have a far more interesting take on such a modern collection of styles.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Makes an Album Great

Image
            Great albums should leave lasting impressions, not only on those who listen as non-musicians, but also on the realm of music these albums occupy. In other words, a musical project should seek to leave some distinct mark on it's genre, to lay claim to some form of unique personality; this can often come in many forms, ranging from broad sound choices to subtle production techniques. This method for evaluating music seeks to make complacency the enemy, and forward movement the desired goal. This is not to say that all derivative albums are necessarily bad, as of course, outliers will always exist. Rather, the goal of an artist should, intrinsically, be to leave some reflection of their own condition, regardless of how relatable those emotions may or may not be. In music, this can be achieved in multiple ways, however I will focus on three aspects that I find particularly important when listening to music.      When co...
Read more

Oneohtrix Point Never - Again (Album Review)

Image
  Oneohtrix Point Never - Again (2023) My copy: 2023 limited press on orange transparent vinyl by Warp Records. Having built a strong reputation across a multitude of electronic projects, Daniel Lopatin now cashes in on his modern influence to compile what is likely his most ambitious project yet. Spanning over an hour, Again picks up where 2017’s Garden Of Delete left off, for better and for worse. Even with lush string arrangements and big-name features, Lopatin is unable to prevent Again from falling victim to some serious bloat. Anxiety immediately unravels in the orchestral “Elseware” though this introductory track quickly straightens out into a beguiling arrangement that is unlike any “typical” Oneohtrix track. The ritual “Again” then dives headfirst into Lopatin’s usual world of chittering robots and droning vocal mimicry. Things begin more explorative - descending into the depths of some synthesized hell before fading and restarting. Acoustic flourishes fester alongside...
Read more

Part Chimp - I Am Come (Album Review)

Image
  Part Chimp - I Am Come (2005) My copy: 2005 press by Rock Action Records As the millennium turned, rock music trends began to shift. In the U.S. a band called Lightning Bolt were establishing themselves as forerunners of modern noise-rock by pushing the music in increasingly weird directions. Across the pond, Mclusky were fighting the good fight with the 2002 Albini-produced Do Dallas, that wove dry, intelligent humor in between bursts of electrifying instrumental poundings. But over in London, another set of noise-crazed rockers got their start around the same time.  Part Chimp’s humor is a touch more on the nose; see album title Chart Pimp, or song title “Hitler and Jews” from the same 2002 debut. But directness is just where a band calling themselves “Part Chimp” excels. As rock began softening and going the way of the Strokes real quick, Chart Pimp offered a bastion of sludge-y rock ferocity that mostly suffered from being less able to fully capture the sheer volume ...
Read more