Morning Spy
The Silver Age
Keep Recordings/Abandoned Love Records

Morning Spy is a four-piece, San Francisco-based indie pop band, and The Silver Age is their third official release, following their debut album Subsequently and last year's EP Two Horses (of which the title song is to find on this album, too).

They belong to the widely-stretched American lo-fi-scene, with influences as Pavement/Stephen Malkmus and Guided By Voices immediately springing to mind. A slight touch of Neil Young-ish Americana can also be discovered between the lines here, and even fragments of the heartbreaking pop-sound of NZ-bands as the Verlaines and Sneaky Feelings comes to mind when listening to this album.

But Morning Spy are definitely no copyists, mostly because of lead vocalist and front man Jon Rooney's characteristically, laid-back vocal work, which best can be described as a mixture between Peter Perrett of The Only Ones, Dave Schramm from The Schramms, and even Lou Reed. This, paired with utterly charming, when not technically brilliant guitar work, gives Morning Spy a completely personal expression, which maybe reaches its peek when second vocalist Allison Coffman sings her awesome, self-written tunes like "Honeysuckle Baby" and "Overnite".

The Silver Age is one of this year's most pleasant surprises, and I really hope they can continue to deliver such unpretentious, unpolished lo-fi pop as heard on this album. If they even sharpen their song-writing skills a little, I would think there is a lot more to come from this bunch. And I look forward to it.

Copyright © 2005 Håvard 'Bremner' Kløften