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Morella's Forest
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About
Morella’s Forest, a Dayton-based band first forming in 1992, which were “a mix of beautiful female noise pop and male testosterone rock 'n roll," as band guitarist Shawn Johnson laughingly referred to them as. “Edgy pop” as band vocalist and co-songwriter Sydney Rentz called them. The emphasis was on writing solid songs characterized by simple, sweet melodies that are rounded out by equal parts noisy guitar lines, candy pop, and new wave quirkiness. Though as Last.FM stated, “In truth, no categorization could adequately describe the MoFo's unique blend of noisy hooks and pop melodies."
This originality went on to help propel the popularity of the band’s acclaimed debut release ‘Super Deluxe’ (Tooth & Nail) recorded with Steve Hindalong (The Choir) and Chris Colbert (Fluffy) at Neverland Studios in Nashville, presented an ethereal mix of dreamy vocals and crunchy guitars. Their follow up “Ultraphonic Hiss” (produced by Keith Cleversey; Hum, Low, Spiritualized, Flaming Lips, and again on the Tooth & Nail label), was pure pop drenched in syrupy melodies and tasty hooks. "From Dayton With Love," also produced by Cleversey (with additional production help from John Schmersal; Brainiac/Enon) “found them dabbling in herky-jerky new wave mixed with their trademark noisy indie rock” - Last.FM.
The band’s fourth full-length release, “Tiny Lights of Heaven” found the band venturing forward yet again, this time straight into the world of pop, creating goose the strongest songs and moving ballads of their career. Flourishes of Stereolab, flashes of The Cardigans and hints of the band Ivy flavored the band’s guitar-driven and keyboard-layered songs, redefining the Morella’s Forest aesthetic.
The band's work has been featured in various televisions productions as well, including a number of episodes of the popular TV series "Dawson's Creek."
Recordings
The fourth full-length release from these indie rock veterans, one that puts the emphasis on solidly written songs characterized simple, sweet melodies and tasteful and intelligent arrangements. Jointly released by Big Beef along with Canadian label endearing records, this album delivers beautiful, inspired pop songs that make you look forward to getting up in the morning.
A Japan-only edition of TLOH, featuring the original album along with three bonus tracks exclusive to this Japanese release. Additional songs include beautiful remixes of the albums opening and closing songs, "Running" and "Never Let Go," along with another never before released original "Give It Up."
"It's a brutal scene, and most bands use up most of their ideas on their first EP. Morella's Forest, who had a trio of releases on Tooth & Nail in the mid-nineties, are back with a new label, a new sound and some astonishingly good new ideas…They’re still making music that matters in a genre that's too often devoted to the disposable. Tiny Lights Of Heaven is a great comeback."
- COSMIK DEBRIS
"Morella's Forest…are back with "Tiny Lights Of Heaven". The good news is that they are better than ever…Catchy but not smooth, the band finds the perfect synthesis of the styles of the past and the present."
— JACCO STIJKEL; EUPHRODITA'S EMPIRE [The Netherlands]
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"Listen up: If you're looking for infectious melodies and creative songs, Tiny Lights of Heaven just might be the album for you…from the always engaging and consistently solid Morella's Forest. The band hails from Dayton, Ohio, and features the alluring voice of Sydney Rentz. The band has been on the indie pop scene for nearly a decade and is known for its tasteful melodies and well-written lyrics."
- THE HALIFAX HERALD (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
"Veterans of the indie-pop scene..they have spent their career perfecting a sound that most bands in their genre have allowed to become dated. MoFo has managed to reemerge with an expanded approach to writing charming subdued pop songs. The key to their longevity is their consistent ability to reinvent themselves…There are several songs on this album that could easily be hits, but the lo-fi aspect of the production is too much of a selling point to this album to let it go just to appeal to the masses. Ironically, I think you can credit their endurance to their lack of fan fare…Tiny Lights of Heaven is a different kind of comeback album. After ten years, Morella's Forest has shown that they are an indispensable attribute to their genre. They won't give their sound a chance to go stale, as they continue to add new textures they continue to be relevant in a scene where bands are easily forgotten.
- STEPHANIE HASELMAN; INDIEWORKSHOP
“[TLOH] is Morella's Forest's most accessible recording to date. Hummable, sticky pop songs (maybe art-rock?) with distorted rhythm guitars and female vocals front and center.”
- GARRETT JOHNSON; THE BLACK & WHITE
