After a four-year layoff, the kids from Morella's Forest are back on a new set of labels with a slightly modified lineup...and the results are quite nice. Exit the shoegazing of yesteryear and enter a more melodic, indie-pop sensibility.
Sydney Rentz's understated vocals will remind some of Beki Hemingway, but with a bit less pop and a bit more of an edge. A beautiful voice that most any guy will fall in love with. And the musicians sound very comfortable with the direction they are headed. While some bands find a measure of success and then continue to put the same album out over and over again, MoFo wants to continue to grow and evolve and move forward, rather than rest on their laurels and live in the past. And this time around band members Jesse Sprinkle and Shawn Johnson head up the production.
Best tunes on the album include "Running," "Choppy," "Sand and the Sea," and "Hopeless." If there is any fault with this album, it is that some of the songs begin to sound too much alike after a while. A bit more sonic variety would have helped. But all in all this is a disc worth getting.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Matt ModrichFour years after leaving Tooth and Nail, Morella's Forest is back with their fourth record Tiny Lights of Heaven. Along with their new labels, Big Beef and Endearing Records, they also have a new sound. When Morella's Forest first began they sounded like a female version of Starflyer 59. But these days they have shed the heavily distorted guitars for bubblegum pop and hushed vocals, which likens…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Jeff EdwardsMorella's Forest apparently went through some changes during the four-year layoff from their last release. The most evident on paper are the personnel changes, but paper is not necessary to hear the difference immediately. From track 1 - "Running," the listener needs to check the CD case time and time again to make sure this is really the same band that released Ultraphonic Hiss and Super Deluxe.…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Olin JenkinsFor those new to Morella's Forest, Tiny Lights of Heaven is pure pop featuring what Big Beef Records calls Sydney Rentz's "beautiful and alluring" vocals. If you're familiar with the band, you may have been disappointed with the vocals being mired underneath instrumentation. Good news: unlike 1996's Ultraphonic Hiss, guitars here are lighter, also bringing a sweet balance to Rentz's voice,…Similar sounding releases
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