You often hear guitarists saying they are ‘creating shapes.’ I have a definitive foundation of artists creating shapes on paper and oratory artists expressing emotions. It’s hard, as a listener, for me to hear and imagine ‘shapes’ when I listen to music.
Not so much anymore.
In the stirring and often charismatic offering from The Morning Sea , Mal de Mer, the listener is stretched into imagining the shapes of dark sounds, mirky orchestrations and fumbling horns. It’s a majestic and quirky sound The Morning Sea dubs “Gotham Americana.” The term fits like lead singer Adam Cohen’s effortless crooning.
The title track casts a shade of eery black over a dreary picture. Cohen’s vocals and delivery seem to be covered in a veil of sadness, but yet a small tidbit of optimism. This song reminds of me the work from Keane and even a bit of David Bowie’s romanticism.
“Don’t Be Moronic, Merriam” has this flighty musical bed. It’s brighter than the title track and amps up the pace. The chorus moves with grace and in perfection cohesion with a muffled horn. This song is not as haunting as the first one, but it still paints a grand, city-like landscape.
“Alexandra” has a similar pace to “Don’t Be Moronic, Merriam,” but has a bit more harder punch. Cohen’s vocals get to where he’s going and as a listener I didn’t find any need for stops. The simplest guitar shreds and patient percussion step in at all the right times.
“Lonely Hearts in The Cosmos” features a steady acoustic guitar that opens up into a captivating storyline. I thought Cohen really showed a subtle beauty in the melodies here. The percussion beats along like a steady friend, albeit Cohen painfully sings of loneliness. This song was remarkable and really stunning.
I thought The Morning Sea might go a bit more electronica with the reference to ‘cosmos’ but their approach has this amazing result!
Finally, “Dog Days” features a bit more of the forlorn horn section, but again, a nice overall song. It fits with the cadence and common thread, and brightens up the ‘gothic’ sound.
The shape that The Morning Sea creates in Mal-De-Mar is one of splendor and artistic triumphs. This is really a fascinatingly awesome achievement. Their maturity and strong hold on songwriting creates a lasting impression.
