The Morning After

The heartening comeback of Would-Be-Goods continues full-bore with the release of the wonderfully melodic and literate 2004 album The Morning After. Once again Jessica Griffin teams with ex-Heavenly guitarist Peter Momtchiloff, and his ringing tones and fluid solos give Griffin's character studies some gritty texture. Also on board on the record are ex-Headcoatee Debbie Green on drums and vocals and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez on bass and vocals. They provide rock solid rhythms and rich vocal harmonies that give the record a boost that Brief Lives could have used. Griffin's pretty but incisive vocals are the main focus of the band and she never lets down the side, sweetly crooning the ballad "Bluebeard," slinking through the groovy French rocker "Le Crocodile," archly delivering "Miss La-Di-Dah" and swaying gently along with the bossa of "Innocent Abroad." It is blue-moon rare for a band to make one decent comeback record, to make a second that is even better than the first is unheard of, unless you are listening to this, that is. The Morning After is a miniature gem that indie pop fans should add to their collection right away. It won't end up on too many year-end lists but you would be hard pressed to find a better indie pop record in 2004.