Have you ever had a first impression about something that turned out to be completely wrong? That is what happened to me when I first tried listening to this band. A link to their video for the song "Expanding Anyway" was posted by Modest Mouse's facebook page so I thought I'd give it a listen. I figured if Isaac Brock liked them enough to sign them to his label (Glacial Pace Recordings) they had to be amazing, right? So I pressed play on the video to get it loading and waited in anticipation. The only problem is that I live in the sticks where I am still condemned to dial-up internet. Yes, it is 2012 and I still have dial-up. Don't laugh... Anyway, After the first 30 seconds or so loaded, I pressed play to get a preview. As the instruments in the intro were playing I was thinking "not to bad, so far so good," then the vocals came in I wasn't really feeling it, so I quit letting it load and went on with whatever it was that I was doing to begin with. Now keep in mind that I had only heard around thirty seconds of the song, so not near enough to form an honest opinion.
A few weeks later, I saw on facebook again that the band would be performing on Letterman, so I decided to stay up and give them another chance. So I tuned in, watching the whole show waiting to hear them play. They played "Expanding Anyway," and I was BLOWN AWAY! So I immediately, ran to my PC and got the video downloading again. Again, since I have dial-up, I just let it load overnight, while I got some shut eye (thinking back, it was pointless for me to run...) The next morning, I watched the video as I got ready for work and not only did I fall in love with the song, but the video as well! Here it is for you to enjoy and hopefully fall in love with too:
That song was stuck in my head all day and several days after that so I finally broke down and downloaded the album from Amazon. I used the high speed internet at work so it wouldn't take five hours. Afterwards, I loaded it up on my Zune, headed out to my car and went for a drive so I could give it a listen. I loved what I heard!
This album is like a ride at an amusement park. It grabs your attention from the get-go and doesn't let go until the last note is played. Even better, is that it is like one of those roller coasters inside a building that is in complete darkness so you can't see what's coming. After building up the basic flow of a song, the band will take a right turn when you are expecting a left, then rush down a steep hill when you think it is going to be a straightway. Then they follow that up with returning to familiar territory just to lull you back to a false sense of control before going in crazy directions again! "Wholehearted Drifting Sense of Inertia" is a good example of this, have a listen:
But don't worry if you think that's too much to handle, they give you plenty of chances to catch your breath and allow your stomach to settle with songs like "Eyes the Same," "Crystalline," and "Daydream Electric Storm." While these songs are a little more chilled, they still have some nice highs in them. The whole album is very dynamic, giving you enough change throughout to keep you on your toes, while never giving you ear fatigue. You'll never know what sounds are lurking around the corner, from sounds akin to Gameboy music to a banjo. The vocals are amazing, and ever changing too, without losing their distinctness. Some lines are sung, some are shouted, some are spit out so fast you have no clue what's being said, some are just random noises. But you'll soon be singing along, doing your best imitation, if you are anything like me when I'm alone in my car.
I am very excited to see where this band will take their sound with their next album although, I was disappointed I was unable to see them live when they played in Denton, TX last month. Hopefully, next time they play around the Dallas area, I'll be able to make it.
Morning Teleportation was formed in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2005 by natives Travis Goodwin (keyboards), Tres Coker (drums), Paul Wilkerson (bass), and Chicago transplant Tiger Merrit (vocals/guitar). They were signed to Glacial Pace Recordings in 2009 and Expanding Anyway, their debut album, was released on March 8, 2011. Find it on Amazon here.
Other albums I enjoyed this past year:
Marcellus Hall - The First Line: Another Glacial Pace artist. Great country/folk sound with clever lyrics.
The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck: Once again John Darnielle proves what an amazing lyricist he is.
Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now: Another great country album! Very beautiful voice, too!
Ogre You Asshole - Homely: A Japanese Indy band. This album was quite the departure from their previous sound, but after the initial shock of "IS THIS THE SAME BAND?!" I've grown to love it.
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