Morning Spy
"Two Horses EP"
CDR
KEEP
Recordings
Genres: space pop, indie pop
KEEP Recordings
PO Box 18972
Tucson AZ 85731
Oct 4 - 10 2004 |
San Francisco's Morning Spy formed in 2001 and has since become
a particularly active pop quartet. Their Two Horses EP
had the fortune of being picked up by the increasingly impressive KEEP
label, and I've been lucky enough to get my paws on a copy. The
sound is a bit a change of pace for the budding imprint, whose
previous releases (or at least those I've heard) have been a bit more
folkish. Morning Spy, on the other hand, are a relatively
"regular" indie pop band, infusing basic songs with
occasional space rock ambiance and chamber-pop personality.
Two Horses starts off with straightforward pop material -
only the slight reverb of the title-track's guitar part and the fuzzy
feedback layers of "Ask Us To Dance" hint at the type of
spacey rock Morning Spy can really do well. You probably
won't "get" this CD's true orientation until you reach the
last song, an eight minute epic named "The Demise of an African
Businessman." It's quite drawn out, but lush and wonderful
nonetheless, thoroughly entertaining despite its instrumental
nature. Its gradual, delicate sound calls to mind more
experimental Yo La Tengo, and will certainly charm any true
shoegazer. The band's less spacey songs, including the subtly
twangy "Already Won," are also successful, and add depth to
an already impressive EP.
I can't say Two Horses is essential - EPs rarely are - but,
as far as friendly indie pop music goes, you can be sure Morning
Spy do things right. This is both wonderfully accessible and
accessibly wonderful.
86%
The Two Horses EP is limited to 50
copies.
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
6 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
