Vectralux Succeeds on Each Morning and the Morning Thereafter
By Deuce
Vectralux has a sure shot formula for winning on its latest long player, Each Morning and the Morning Thereafter. Almost all of the songs on this album move, some more than others, but even the ballads seem imbued with a refreshing change of pace that’s somehow fun, if not exciting.
Moreover, there’s something about the voice of lead vocalist Hannibal Heredia, who also lays down some serious guitar work. It’s highly expressive, animated, and has a propensity for conveying feelings in such a way that whatever emotion he’s going for in the booth is one you unerringly feel—which goes a long way towards making memorable musical moments.
Finally, there’s the material. These songs are well structured, with shifts in keys and passages that keep the momentum going on 11 cuts. There are no lulls; the music has overt pop aspirations but lives up to it, and the quartet even manages a hit or two that would be difficult for most anyone to disparage.
All any disbeliever would have to do is get a dose of “Hidden Days” to almost instantly reverse his or her incredulity. “Days” is one of the ones that simply gets better the longer you listen to it. It readily abandons its four-on-the-floor pretenses for a full on drum pattern that kicks in something cool. Not to mention the fact that Andy Tegethoff has a doozy of a bass line on this tune that protracts its appeal and, with Kelly Shane’s flare for the cue sticks, the song manages to hit a peak and stay there for the duration of the number, seemingly getting better with time.
“Hey!” is under two minutes of sheer exuberance, as the title strongly suggests. The group tries to fool you with some pleasing, slow piano work in the beginning, but the rest of the music kicks in so strongly that it almost sounds like a remake. Heredia has eminent chords on his guitar and a great melody during the verses as well, with the song cutting off right as it should have hit a bridge.
“To Be Untitled” starts off like the classic Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me”, certainly putting Vectralux in good company. And thus it goes for the rest of the album, which is sure to produce its own comparisons of quality, too.
Nice and refreshing album. Excellent keyboards as well!