Genre: Shoegaze
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© 1996 Tooth & Nail Records
AllMusic Review by Johnny Loftus
On its sophomore effort for Tooth & Nail, Ohio's Morella's Forest
trades the direct dream pop flourishes of its debut for a more refined
noise pop sound. The choppy, reverb-heavy distortion is still here in
the instrumentation, for sure. But Sydney Rentz's vocals aren't as far away, which places her lyrics of love and loss front and center. Likewise, Ultraphonic Hiss
doesn't drift as often into extended noise trips or brooding,
bittersweet instrumental sections punctuated by peels of guitar noise.
"Candy Necklace Kind of Love," "Butter Scotch Boy," and "Tangerine
Drops" focus the sound around tight percussion and that famous fuzz and
find time to form actual melodies (the latter features the additionally
tasteful flourish of a string section). "Pastel Straws" features some
great multi-layered production in addition to Rentz's whispered plea "I hope you're not too mad at me/I hope you're not too mad," and the lighthearted "Glitter" recalls Lush while channeling the Who's
"Kids Are Alright" in its chorus. Things can be a bit too syrupy at
times (take a look at those Willy Wonka song titles), but mushy
romanticism has been part of noise and indie pop at least as long as the
distortion pedal, so some lovelorn notions shouldn't sour anyone on Morella's Forest. Ultraphonic Hiss is a solid second effort soundly in line with the fashionably referential work of Henry's Dress and Velocity Girl, or even Tiger Trap
in the more upbeat moments of "Hula Hoop" and "Lime Velvet Love Seat."
Dayton, OH, might not be D.C. or the Bay Area, but it's good to know
there's at least one band bringing guitar squeals and lovey-dovey lyrics
to the heartland.
tags: morellas forest, morella's, ultraphonic hiss, flac,
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