I apologize to the Canadian band Morre. They sent me their album ...Out There almost a month ago and it took me this long to review it. I could make shit up like, I broke my leg in a skiing accident or tell you the truth, I got an STD and needed to call the hookers on 4th street in for a lecture. Either way, I am truly sorry for the lapse in time.

Sometimes I stall on albums I fucking hate, but that wasn't the case with ...Out There. I liked this album. It is a bit more sophisticated than I am accustomed to. I like dirty produced, sounds like it spent the night doing drugs with Corey Haim, guitar solo heavy albums. Morre allow their guitars drive the song and the guitars provide the hooks and melodies, for the most part. But they simply sprinkle guitar solos throughout the song. Almost as if they are accentuating key parts of the song. A concept foreign to some bands who just think guitar solos sell the song.

Morre is a tasteful band. They let their musicianship do the talking. They don't need funny lyrics about nailing chicks or getting in fights. They let their musical skills shine through. And shine they do! Intricate melodies, multi tracked vocals, and precise rhythm all combine to create earworms (songs that stay with you days after hearing them). Morre's songs are like audio syphilis - dangerously contagious.

I really can't choose one performance from ...Out There that stands out. Adrian Tonceanu (vocals, guitars), Igor Lazebnik (vocals, guitars),  Paul Armstrong (bass, backing vocals) and Tyler Koch (drums, backing vocals) are all superior musicians. I can, however, pick my favorite song - Playing With Fire. The song has a great dance riff, sing-a-long lyrics, and stadium sized power. I was strutting around my apartment naked like a well hung Mick Jagger listening to this song. If I had heard this song months ago, I would have played it at my wedding. Sure, that would have cheapened the song because my wedding was at the Court House, but I think the others waiting in line would have danced too.

Morre isn't an artist like we have covered in the past. We cover whiskey soaked bands whose idea of singing is grabbing a ram horn and calling through it like a Viking. Those bands are lucky to play one instrument well. Morre plays many instruments well. I loved the diverse collections of instruments, strings, sitars, acoustic/electric on same song, etc. Each song was very different from the last. There clearly was no formula and that's a good thing.

It is one thing to pull these dulcet sounds off in a studio when you have days, weeks, and months to perfect each song. But can they pull these songs off in a live setting? I will guess yes, but until they come near Philadelphia, I will never know. My parole officer won't allow me to leave my house.

To sum up Morre, they are like a Led Zeppelin Pinot Noir. Take the sound of Led Zeppelin, add in a bit of modernization, a dash of World flavor, and let age in your iPod. I guarantee you Morre will age like fine wine and you will come back for Morre. Fuck that was a bad pun, but it works. Check out the band's MySpace site for future tour dates, previews of the songs off ...Out There, and to buy the album.



Photo courtesy of www.babak.ca. Check out his photography. Pretty cool stuff.