Fun and trashy
CGC | Los Angeles, CA USA | 09/10/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Morningwood has a fun, lewd sense of humor. That's obvious from their name. That fun, lewd sense of humor is also central to their musical identity. This is one group that doesn't believe punk rock has to be angry or dour. (Okay, punk-influenced if you want to get all technical about it.) Morningwood is aggressive and trashy, but this New York City-based group also has infectious melodies and a bit of glam, all of which is well-served by crisp, expert production from Gil Norton (who previously worked with Echo & the Bunnymen, The Pixies, and the Foo Fighters).
Comparisons to the Divinyls, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and the Pretenders have been made, but you can also cite other bands like Concrete Blonde, Bikini Kill, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs--and that's just sticking to groups fronted by women. Fact is, this is a band that goes from sounding like Romeo Void on "Take Off Your Clothes" to the Pixies on "Body 21" to L7 on "Nu Rock." In other words, they've got a lot of different sounds to offer. In addition to the aforementioned, standout tracks include the fairly straight-ahead "Televisor," the very new wave "Nth Degree" (which spells out their name in the chorus, "Uh, oh, here we go, M-O-R-N-I-N-G-W-O-O-D"), and the bawdy "Babysitter." "Your daddy shouldn't let me babysit," goes the chorus. "You gotta start sometime; it may as well be now," Chantal Claret continues in the next verse.
This is all subjective, of course, and you never know what radio decisionmakers will do. But if Morningwood gets the airplay, they should have at least a minor hit on their hands.
"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1