Wasted Youth Blues

What is it about taking oldies-era pop hooks, driving them with fuzzed-out guitar, and slathering the resulting songs in reverb so damned appealing? Sure, it’s a formula but, as formulas go, it’s a pretty damn good one, combining a bunch of well-worn tools that offer instant appeal with a near infinite flexibility to put your own stamp on the sound. Case in point: The Morning Clouds excellent debut, Wasted Youth Blues.

The band The Morning Clouds is one of the projects of Josh Wambeke, perhaps best known for his work in Fell, another excellent band that uses some of the same tools to slightly different effect. On Wasted Youth Blues, a true solo effort—“All lyrics & music written, performed and recorded by Josh Wambeke,” the record’s page promises—Wambeke builds compelling, hook-filled songs out of slow, minimal arrangements of guitar, drums, bass, and organ, with a bit of synthesizer creeping in here and there for a touch of color. Oh, and there’s reverb—lots and lots of reverb.

His guitar tones are beautiful, which isn’t surprising for a guy whose main act is so dedicated to My Bloody Valentine/Slowdive-style dream pop. This skews a little close to some kind of middle point between Darklands and Automatic-era Jesus And Mary Chain, without ever aping that band (or anyone else). 

The sound is instantly compelling, but none of that matters if the songs aren’t there. No worries—the songs are most definitely there. Each track is a memorable mini-epic of heartbreak, loneliness, sorrow, and regret. Despite the overwhelming aura of gloom, things never get too ponderous or unwieldy.

There is one serious issue with the record—at just five songs clocking in at around 20 minutes, it’s way too short. That’s not a bad problem to have. If this is the result of wasted youth, then goddamn, more youth should be wasted.