The Morning Pages – The Company You Keep

The Morning Pages – The Company You Keep / 2007 Zealous / 6 Tracks / http://www.themorningpages.com /

For some reason, the first band I think of when I listen to The Morning Pages has to be Led Zeppelin. The music that is present on “The Company You Keep” is couched in an earlier style of rock. The vocals are the focal point of a track like “It Makes Me Cry”, but this does not mean that the instruments bend over completely. Rather, the instruments contribute to the full sound of the band. However much the band sounds as if they are from a different time period, the band’s ability as musicians is enough to make the compositions on “The Company You Keep” sound vibrant, popping freshly in listeners’ ears.

The Morning Pages are a band that love the seventies, and while the band are not at the edge of experimentation, they provide songs during “The Company You Keep” that will make listeners feel good. “It Makes Me Cry” is a track that breaks free of the typical conceptions of rock music at points, meandering into extended guitar solos that match well with the vocals that they have replaced. “With The Lord” continues this general sound but adds a very active piano to add more of a body to the track. The vocals really tend to approach the levels of a Neil Young throughout the track. The storytelling nature of The Morning Pages during “With The Lord”, and by extension the rest of the album, is without comparison. However excited the vocals get, listeners can still easily decipher what is being said.

The lyrics add further to the allure of The Morning Pages. As with “It Makes Me Cry”, there are extended instrumental interludes that meander around until the track ends. Any of the tracks that The Morning Pages place on “The Company You Keep” could be the one that catapults them into the stratosphere, as all enjoy an equal quality and ability showcased in their borders. “Don’t Ask Me” has the same trilling, old country style pianos present as “With The Lord”, which increases the linkages that the whole album has. However, the track goes further than any other song on the disc, as the harmonies achieved by the vocalist are without comparison. “The Company You Keep” shows that The Morning Pages are ready for the big time; it will only be a matter of time before they are rubbing elbows with Devendra Banhart and Two Gallants.

Top Track: Don’t Ask Me

Rating: 7.1/10