Album Review: Morgan Page - In The Air (2012)

The following review was written in real time as I listened to the complete album for the first time.

Morgan Page - In The Air

Label: Nettwork Products Ltd.
Genre(s): House/Progressive House
Release Year: 2012

1) “In The Air”: The album opens with a bang. I don’t know musically what’s going on (I wish I did), but it already sounds different than most EDM I come across. The first time I heard of Morgan Page was his song "Video," and later on with the Mord Fustang remix of "In The Air," a faster-paced, more abrasive remix of this track. Anyway, I won’t double up too much here, other than to say that this time the “Hallelujah” is present in the track, which was a line that was removed on the Mord Fustang remix. A few tracks on the album are collaborations, and this is one of them, with BT and Ned + Shepard having a hand in the pot; BT's production influence is clearly heard here. "In The Air" is driving, upbeat, and powerful; you could hum this tune all day long. I vouch for this one -- original, remix or otherwise:

Morgan Page, Sultan + Ned Shepard, and BT (ft. Angela McCluskey) - "In the Air"

2) “Where Did You Go”: Vocal track. Pace is about a 7 on a /10 scale. Male vocals. The beat itself is good, it’s that when the vocals come in they're too typical dance-song-sounding for me, for lack of a better term. Perhaps a little too boy-band-esque. Really slow break in the middle of the song. It’s not going to get a return visit most likely, but if I’m comparing it to a lot of what I hear on Pandora on a daily basis, it would stand above more amateur fair. The song would be better with a remix.

3) “Body Work”: This is a quirky one. "Body Work" would qualify as one of those songs that is more accessible to your average listener, as it’s catchy enough to get stuck in your head, even if you might not want it to. Out of all the songs on the album, it would be something I would expect to have been the type of EDM that was popular in the mainstream during that time period (ala Lady Gaga), particularly when compared to the other material that I have been posting in the journal. That said, it never loses its indie feels. Tegan and Sara, another set of twins, just like NERVO, are the featured vocalists. The music video has Tegan and Sara folding laundry at a gym while several of the members perform dance moves throughout the facility. Meanwhile, Morgan Page DJs in the background, and there are some glow sticks to make the video complete. I know it’s dance music, but just between you and me, I don’t even like characterizing it as dance music. But we've got to call it something. I'm particularly not a fan of those types of videos, although music videos that don't make a lick of sense are par for the course when it comes to electronic music.

4) “Carry Me”: The Dyro remix of this song is one of my favorite electronic-vocal tracks. Er, forget that for the moment, I'm supposed to discuss the original. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that the beat and the vocals don't quite fit together like they should on the original version; they sound somewhat out of sync. I think that's what I'm hearing, anyway. The beat: while being straight-line, thumping and repetitious, it sounds hollow at its core. It pains me to say that, because it's still a stellar tune. This is one of Nadia Ali's best vocal performances that I've heard to date. I can tell that the quality of the original composition + vocals is there, and it would take a really lousy remixer to come in and mess things up. Like much of the album, it’s dance-able, but not too mainstream where you'd have to break out the cheese.

5) “The Only One”: Vocally it sounds Latin-influenced, even though it’s got a dance beat. Not on par with the first four songs.

6) “S.O.S. (Message In A Bottle)”: Is this going to be a The Police cover or something? Let’s see. Yes, it looks that way.

Tangent: I know from some other selections I have come across that Sting has been receptive to having his material covered by individuals in the electronic community. Or at least whoever wrote the song. Typically, an approved adaptation (not a cover) will function as a separate, stand-alone song, and then it will be "remixed." It's called an adaptation because the original production wasn't used, therefore disqualifying it to be a proper remix. I'm sure there's some royalties minutia going on as to why they don't use the original production.

/tangent

Well, other than being another cover, it doesn't add anything new to the legacy of the song.

7) “The Actor”: Getting a pseudo-Radiohead, indie-rock vibe on this track. Standard tune. I do like some of the background sounds I’m hearing, but the song is nothing earth-shattering. Seems to me it’s a song about self-loathing and wearing a social mask:

Teeth white smile white,
Distant look here in my eyes,
I can fake it all the time,
Teeth white smile white,
Distant look here in my eyes,
I can fake it all the time,

I’m the actor.

8) “Missing”: If all you want in your music is to hear the line “Missing your love, missing your love, I’ll be missing your love,” then this is certainly the song for you. Moving on…

9) “Light Years”: Richard Walters on vocals. Walters does just fine, but the production is not up to snuff with some of the better material here.

10) “Loves Mistaken”: Vocalist is Shelley Harland. I haven’t heard if her before, but she sounds good. It’s a progressive-house tune with dance-pop flavor. Possibly the most traditionally structured, commercial track on the album. Too standard dance-sounding for me, however. "Loves Mistaken" won’t make it to my rotation, but, like most of the songs on the album, it would stand out if you pitted it against a lot of the other stuff I come across on my Pandora station.

11) “Gimme Plenty”: Club tune with a lounge vibe that maintains an energetic pace throughout. Has a sultriness to it. I’d liken it to “Lovefool” by The Cardigans if I was describing this to an alternative-music listener who’s never heard a dance song in his/her life.

12) “Video”: Tegan and Sara again as the featured vocalists. This is catchy as hell. I’m looking at the lyrics, and I have no earthly idea what they’re on about, so I will be unable to provide any pithy comments on this one.

Hide inside like a middle school kid
Flip the screen of the tube instead
Horror films in black and white
Pull the shades from day to night

I knew I was looking for thrills
I lose myself looking for thrills
I knew I was looking for thrills
I lose myself looking for thrills

My mind is full of video tape
Hit the streets so hard
Take your body in the night

I would definitely recommend this one. Solid stuff.

13) “Addicted”: I have heard this one before. The vocalist, Greg Laswell, keeps a calm and soothing tone throughout. It’s a good closer to the album.

SUMMATION

Best Track: "In The Air"
Worst Track: "Missing"

I would have no problem with this CD being in my collection. Clearly, it already is. While at times in this review I might seem overly critical of those songs I didn't like, they're not too bad, even if they're a bit samey in some respects. This would be a good album to put on at a cocktail party of like-minded music listeners while people mingle about the house.

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STATISTICS FOR THIS REVIEW

Time listening to CD: 56 minutes, 20 seconds
Total time spent on review*: 240 minutes

*from the moment I opened the cellophane on the CD, to the exact moment when I hit the submit reply button. This includes prep time, sourcing YouTube links, scanning album art, editing and proofreading the journal entry, etc.