Prize // Reward＜Neon Violet Vinyl＞

The guys in Good Morning make music that sounds just right for mornings when you can't quite wipe the sleep out of your eyes and get out of bed. It's a little lazy, a little cuddly, and a little relaxed. OK, it's a lot relaxed, but Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons put a lot of effort into sounding so lackadaisical and chill. They craft their lo-fi indie pop with a care and precision that belie the humble technology used to capture the sounds. Their early work showed loads of promise, and the 2018 album Prize // Reward is where it all comes together in stellar fashion. Sounding like an Elephant 6 band with no pretensions or Smog with a shelf full of Beach Boys records, Prize // Reward is made up of tiny ballads driven by plunky pianos and gentle sax lines, loping ballads put together loosely and sung with restrained abandon, late-night Nilsson-lite ballads, and the occasional track like "Escalator" that has just enough soft rock bounce to keep things from being a total pajama fest. It never breaks a sweat, never shouts, and never falls victim to the scourge that has brought down lo-fi artists ever since the beginning of recorded time: indulgence. The two lads keep things short and sweet with to-the-point instrumentation, vocals that stay well within view of being in tune, and tightly wound melodies that would work in hi-fi surroundings. There are even a few songs that give their lo-fi heroes a run, or at least a fast walk, for their money. The almost peppy "Mirror Freak" would have been a strong Pavement album track, especially if they had known any honking sax players; the brief "Plant Matter" could have been an early Sebadoh song; the lovely "Just a Man" rambles like a Palace song if Will Oldham had a tipsy Fame Studios band backing him. Despite the clear influences evident on Prize // Reward, the album never sounds derivative thanks to the great songs and the restrained emotion the duo imparts to them. Fans of lo-fi who miss the golden age of the sound need look no further that Good Morning to find a group that truly understands the factors that made the best records of the era and can re-create the spirit and feel perfectly. ~ Tim Sendra