Morning 40 Federation Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Morning 40 Federation's self-titled 2004 album mixed rock and funk with more traditional New Orleans styles with interesting, if erratic and sometimes bombastic, results. The approach hasn't changed that much on 2006's Ticonderoga, except that the funk element seems considerably more dominant. It's a better-recorded album than Morning 40 Federation, and not as overdone in its execution, but still a little hammy. There's a party-in-the-face-of-the-apocalypse attitude in some of the material, and a rather in-your-face rock-funk chunk to much of it, though it's not as in-your-face (and considerably more New Orleans-ized) as, say, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. While these are intelligent musicians who play with some grit, there's also a smarmy cynicism to the songwriting and delivery -- one that seems to document the screwed-up world with callous if energetic resignation -- that's not only not going to be to everyone's taste, but is far from endearing. As they declare, without any apparent ambivalence, in "God Help Me": "God, help me to love normal people, but God help me, I don't love them." They step outside the rock-funk mix once in a while, getting into vaguely comic soul-pop balladry with "Washing Machine," swamp metal of sorts on "Skin," and strutting ragtime on "Toodle." If the intention of the closing barroom piano ramble "Conversation Whore" is to leave the listener with an especially irritating aftertaste, it succeeds handily. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As quests for 21st century recombinants of 20th century music forms go, Morning 40 Federation is one of the more imaginative ones, integrating traditional New Orleans jazz, funk, film noir-ish creepiness, and an appetite for trashiness into a format that's more alternative rock than anything else. The vocals are delivered with the sardonic diffidence of a jaded carnival barker, and a sense of ironic joie de vivre permeates the proceedings. To be a wet blanket about matters, though, why isn't this as fun or moving as it could have been? Well, the mix is often as sludgy as a bayou swamp, and while in some senses that might be perceived as appropriate for this kind of thing, at times it's thick enough to make you feel like you're drowning in it rather than wading through it. (When much of the murk clears on songs like "9th Ward" and "One in the Bottle," the surge in cogency is palpable.) Also, while the greasy on-the-prowl mood is kind of cool, some the songs are kind of too similar to each other to stand out. Too, the record's so long (and some of the individual cuts definitely go on for too long) that it can turn a little sour, much like a stopover at a speakeasy can wear out its welcome after one too many drunks knocks over your beer. It's suitable enough music for when you're in a rather prickly decadent frame of mind, with unpredictable musical turns throughout, especially in the insertion of brassy passages that bring to mind particularly wobbly New Orleans festivities. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
