In the early nineties we were suffering from a particularly dower legion of hideous European acts, Ace of Base, 2 Unlimited, Haddaway. They clogged up the charts and sent a clear message to banal record producers that there was a real market for this shit and that they could churn out as much as they pleased. What with that and Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s frighteningly insipid warbling ballads, it’s a miracle I ever survived those days….
 
The antidote though quite simply saved me. The music press called it shoegazing, but for me bands such as Ride, Slowdive, and My Bloody Valentine offered something overwhelmingly exciting. They had created a unique sound that stood unchallenged in its occasional visits to the mainstream pop charts. The wall of industrial feedback from the likes of The Jesus and Mary Chain and the sleazy rock n roll antics of Primal Scream, showed a very different side to the UK’s music scene.
 
15 years on…..and a scene that lay unappreciated for over a decade has returned, but it took an act from New York to spearhead the movement, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club took the baton and gave a new generation a taste of the glory days. So it was only a matter of time before an outfit came along with all the perfect credentials……….

……….The Morning After Girls who clearly are in love with rock n roll from the outset have influences that can be pinned down instantly. Where as this can often be seen as mill stone for many bands it is ultimately endearing to see an act in 2006 with such good taste. This their debut album is the missing link between The Brian Jones Town Massacre and Primal Screams more drug addled era. The dirty bass, howling pitch bended feedback, and casually tapped tambourine rhythms have brought a fresh face to a musical phenomena that has been screaming to be revived.
 
The recent single Hi-Skies that lechers its way along in true fag at the corner of the mouth conceitedness and boasts a screaming chorus line to bring the neighbors to tears is just one of many highlights from their stunning debut. Although the general tone of the album is pitched very close to The Dandy Warhol’s better days, tracks such as , Always Mine and Shadows Evolve dive into My Bloody Valentine guitar sliding mayhem, and steal the breath for a moment or too.
 
The Morning After Girls should without doubt be the dictionary definition of cool. The ‘we don’t give a fuck what you think’ attitude and unstructured basement band production make them a total find in what is usually a carefully orchestrated industry. Its really is hard to explain just how important they are

 9/10

James Heward