Album Review: Early Morning Rise

Sometimes music grabs you instantly, some music can be instantly dismissed, and some music deserves to be played over and over before it can be fully appreciated. I have had Early Morning Rise the new album from Grant Duncan for a while. Some of you might remember Grant from his days as vocalist for The Audio Justice although he is now based in Tokyo.

The opening track When I’m With You grabbed me enough to pique my interest with its slightly 60’s psychedelic twist on the classic pop/rock vibe. It has a great melody and driving chorus, easily the standout track on first listen.

The Lasts The Longest Now show’s Grant’s talent as a songwriter. His vocal has a rough edge to it and fits the classic rock vibe perfectly. Whilst there is a retro feel to some of the songs on here overall this doesn’t sound dated and luckily whilst Grant is clearly a good guitarist he leaves the fret wankery to a minimum.

Find it Somewhere Else Tonight is where we begin to tread water a little. Things start off OK but overall the track feels a little long and some of the lyrics get a little cliché.

Luckily there is depth to this collection of songs and just when I was in danger of switching off, the melancholy ballad Love Stretches Further Each Day follows. It is a beautiful piece of music that gets under your skin complimented with vocals that sit perfectly

Heavy Clouds could easily go on one of Paul McCartney’s latest albums. It ups the tempo and mood and is perfect listening on a sunny Sunday morning.

We then move into a bit of M.O.R. territory and whilst Own True Self and A Storm In Paradise are OK I do feel this is where we suffer bit of solo artist syndrome. Everything on this album fits, fits well, compliments itself. Sometimes it feels a little too controlled. A bit more friction and experimentation could take this album to a whole other level.

See Her Tired Eyes is a blast of a song to end with and reminiscent of early Ocean Colour Scene.

I find myself wanting to hear these songs live with a full band at full tilt. I am not sure if that is going to be happening but if it does then I think that is where we could see their full potential.

Overall, if you like your music on the classic side of indie, the pop side of rock with a Beatlesque vibe and a ‘mod’ern twist then you can’t go wrong with a bit of Grant Duncan.