The Morning After in Bloomington, MN

The heartening comeback of
Would-Be-Goods
continues full-bore with the release of the wonderfully melodic and literate 2004 album
The Morning After
. Once again
Jessica Griffin
teams with ex-
Heavenly
guitarist
Peter Momtchiloff
, and his ringing tones and fluid solos give
Griffin
's character studies some gritty texture. Also on board on the record are ex-
Headcoatee
Debbie Green
on drums and vocals and
Lupe Nunez-Fernandez
on bass and vocals. They provide rock solid rhythms and rich vocal harmonies that give the record a boost that
Brief Lives
could have used.
's pretty but incisive vocals are the main focus of the band and she never lets down the side, sweetly crooning the
ballad
"Bluebeard,"
slinking through the groovy French rocker
"Le Crocodile,"
archly delivering
"Miss La-Di-Dah"
and swaying gently along with the bossa of
"Innocent Abroad."
It is blue-moon rare for a band to make one decent comeback record, to make a second that is even better than the first is unheard of, unless you are listening to this, that is.
is a miniature gem that
indie pop
fans should add to their collection right away. It won't end up on too many year-end lists but you would be hard pressed to find a better
record in 2004. ~ Tim Sendra