Live Review: THE HELLO MORNING - The Hello Morning

Looking at their resume, it would seem The Hello Morning have lofty aspirations to say the least. Names like The Band, Neil Young and My Morning Jacket jump off the page, but whilst these Melbourne grass-chewin' craftsmen aim rather high, they hit pretty bloody close to the mark.
Their debut self-titled album is almost overflowing with all the charming two part harmonies, gurgling organ, slide guitar and wistful pining you could ask for, all the while channelling genteel, corn-field Americana from folk rock's golden era.
Like most good country albums (and make no mistake, this is a country album, but in a city slicker kind of way) The Hello Morning deal with questionable choices, drinking with the wrong people for the wrong reasons and love won and lost, but it's all done in a retrospective way, with the protagonist looking back having survived everything. A tone of relief permeates the record and even in its moodier moments, it still feels like they're looking forward to the next sunrise just over the horizon.
Big tracks like Poolside Lover, Stone Cold Lover (hopefully not the same one) and Edge Of Town revel in sunny, spaced-out jams full of big mushy hooks, while the sobriety of quieter ballads like Drive You Home (with help from Bertie Blackman) and Wilson Pickett cover Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You makes for balanced listening.
This is a great album to spin just as summer is finally starting to get itself together, so allow yourself the luxury drifting off for an hour and let them do the driving. You won't regret it.
Matt MacMaster