The Morning Clouds – Wasted Youth Blues [EP]

A fresh blend of nostalgia

by Sal Christ

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Denver has a lot of delicious shoegaze-y music popping up lately, but no musician really captures what Josh Wambeke and his four collaborators are doing these days. Wambeke and the rest of The Morning Clouds brought their own blend of shoegaze and ’50’s Rock and Roll to a small crowd at 3 Kings Tavern on Oct. 13 to celebrate the release of their album, Wasted Youth Blues. Though the night kicked off with a sparse crowd trickling into the bar to play pool and sip on beer, it seemed that more and more people took to the dance floor as the night progressed. Though they played a very short set, The Morning Clouds were a welcome sight to see and hear after their co-headliners, The Spires, ended a set overwrought with songs that seemed to ramble into “Never Never Land.” While they put on a decent show, the lead singer’s whining about needing more and more reverb over the course of the hour killed the mood. Needless to say, The Morning Clouds were greeted with plenty of head-bobbing and smiles.

With soft vocals, Wambeke launched into several songs off the new album, including “Trails of Light” and the oh-so-perfect, “The Wrong Things.” A sound that initially came off as pliable and smooth lifted off into layers and layers of wistfulness. “The Wrong Things” immediately called to mind “Sleep Walk” by Santo and Johnny with the twang of the steel guitar and slow dance beat. Careful listeners could even pick up wisps of ’60’s R&B that made it impossible not to sway back and forth.

The Morning Clouds join other slow-burning bands such as Youth Lagoon and Houses with Lefse Records releasing their album. Closing the evening before midnight, the band gave shout-outs to their opening act, Tjutjuna, and The Spires before plugging merchandise and CDs as the lights came up. A solid show in an underappreciated venue, The Morning Clouds did not disappoint.

LIVE:  Nov. 4 / The Terminal, Fort Collins

Nov. 11 / Larimer Lounge, Denver

Nov. 25 / Hi-Dive, Denver

Category: The Rock