Morning Glory

War Psalms

Written by: PP on 13/04/2014 23:52:15

For those who thought punk rock is just about simple three chord melodies delivered at breakneck speed tempos, we have an excellent exhibit to demonstrate otherwise with Morning Glory, the elusive punk band featuring Ezra Kire of Leftöver Cräck fame. Having spent a nine-year break from studio albums during the mid 2000s, they returned two years ago with "Poets Were My Heroes", an experimental punk record that sought to deviate from standard melodic punk by adding a variety of unique instruments and structures to the core sound.

This approach continues on "War Psalms", and arguably goes even further. The nearly five-minute "I Am Machine Gun" is the perfect example of a song with melodic punk rock at its heart, while pushing the style in numerous directions by adding in everything from hardcore-rooted metallic riffs, orchestral sequences, deep tuba and trumpet melodies, all the while thick bass lines rumble underneath the experimentalist song structure. It's followed by a polar opposite song in "Nationality Anthem", an anthemic track that is less dramatic in its approach, instead featuring parallels to some Anti-Flag material with its verse melodies. Yet it still features more depth-laden songwriting than what is the norm in punk rock these days.

This means two things. One, the songs written by Morning Glory are growers that require extensive listening before they open their chaotically designed confines fully. Two, they have lasting value beyond just next week provided you 'click' with the songs. "Standard Issue" and "I Want Control" are two other highlight tracks from the album where that might just be the case. But overall, the album feels slightly too complex and ambitious for its own good, almost like a vehicle for Ezra merely to explore just what is possible to do with melodic punk, where experimentalism comes at the expense of catchy songs. Case in point: the multiple all-instrumental, interlude-styled songs dominating the record's key points. That said, it's still a pretty good record, and it'll be interesting to see where the mad professor of punk-approach leads Morning Glory in the future.

Download: Nationality Anthem, Standard Issue, I Am Machine Gun
For the fans of: None More Black, Bouncing Souls, Anti-Flag
Listen: Facebook

Release date 18.02.2014
Fat Wreck Chords

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