Morella's Forest began in 1992 when Shawn Johnson returned home to Dayton, … Read Full Bio ↴Morella's Forest began in 1992 when Shawn Johnson returned home to Dayton, OH after leaving both Seattle, WA and his signed yet album-less band Righteous Anger. Once back in Dayton, Johnson set out to start a new band and gathered together people with a similar musical vision. The band was originally comprised of Sydney Rentz (vocals, lyrics) and Shawn (guitars/keyboards), along with brothers Sean (bass) and Nate McCorkle (drums). While the boys made the sounds, Sydney was a killer vocalist who delivered hushed playful melodies, and got gutsy on the chorus. Morella's Forest was never satisfied with where they had been, but rather looked to continually develop their songwriting. Johnson says, "Morella's Forest has always been from the beginning about never doing the same album twice, and always changing and bringing a new element into the band every record."
"We're a mix of beautiful female noise pop and male testosterone rock 'n roll," laughs MF's guitarist Shawn. Sydney, the vocalist and female aspect of the previous equation, put it more simply by calling their sound "edgy pop." The emphasis was on writing solid songs characterized by simple, sweet melodies that are rounded out by equal parts noisy guitar lines, candy pop, and new wave quirkiness. In truth, no categorization could adequately describe the MoFo's unique blend of noisy hooks and pop melodies. Alternative Press said, "Imagine them as Velocity Girl, had that band been into a-Ha instead of Echo and the Bunnymen."
Their acclaimed debut release "Super Deluxe" (Tooth & Nail) was recorded with Steve Hindalong (The Choir) and Chris Colbert (Fluffy) at Neverland Studios in Nashville, TN. The result was a beautiful album influenced by bands like the Cocteau Twins, Medicine and Jawbox. Furthermore, MF's stylistic beauty was complemented by very classy song lyrics. Written by Sydney, the songs gave spiritual perspectives relationships, life and human connection. Rather than being another angry band, MF sang more about life's beauty, nature and ideals.
On 1996's "Ultraphonic Hiss" (produced by Keith Cleversey; Hum, Low, Spiritualized, Flaming Lips, and also on Tooth & Nail), the songs were pure pop drenched in syrupy melodies and tasty hooks. "From Dayton With Love" (1998), also produced by Cleversey (with additional production help from John Schmersal; Brainiac/Enon), found them dabbling in herky-jerky new wave mixed with their trademark noisy indie rock.
Their final release "Tiny Lights of Heaven" found the band venturing forward yet again, with Shawn and Sydney rounded out by new members Joel Votaw (bass) and Jessie Sprinkle (drums). This time diving straight into the world of pop, creating some of the strongest songs and most moving ballads of their career. Flourishes of Stereolab, flashes of The Cardigans, and flecks of Ivy were injected into the band's guitar-driven songs, redefining the Morella's Forest aesthetic.
"We're a mix of beautiful female noise pop and male testosterone rock 'n roll," laughs MF's guitarist Shawn. Sydney, the vocalist and female aspect of the previous equation, put it more simply by calling their sound "edgy pop." The emphasis was on writing solid songs characterized by simple, sweet melodies that are rounded out by equal parts noisy guitar lines, candy pop, and new wave quirkiness. In truth, no categorization could adequately describe the MoFo's unique blend of noisy hooks and pop melodies. Alternative Press said, "Imagine them as Velocity Girl, had that band been into a-Ha instead of Echo and the Bunnymen."
Their acclaimed debut release "Super Deluxe" (Tooth & Nail) was recorded with Steve Hindalong (The Choir) and Chris Colbert (Fluffy) at Neverland Studios in Nashville, TN. The result was a beautiful album influenced by bands like the Cocteau Twins, Medicine and Jawbox. Furthermore, MF's stylistic beauty was complemented by very classy song lyrics. Written by Sydney, the songs gave spiritual perspectives relationships, life and human connection. Rather than being another angry band, MF sang more about life's beauty, nature and ideals.
On 1996's "Ultraphonic Hiss" (produced by Keith Cleversey; Hum, Low, Spiritualized, Flaming Lips, and also on Tooth & Nail), the songs were pure pop drenched in syrupy melodies and tasty hooks. "From Dayton With Love" (1998), also produced by Cleversey (with additional production help from John Schmersal; Brainiac/Enon), found them dabbling in herky-jerky new wave mixed with their trademark noisy indie rock.
Their final release "Tiny Lights of Heaven" found the band venturing forward yet again, with Shawn and Sydney rounded out by new members Joel Votaw (bass) and Jessie Sprinkle (drums). This time diving straight into the world of pop, creating some of the strongest songs and most moving ballads of their career. Flourishes of Stereolab, flashes of The Cardigans, and flecks of Ivy were injected into the band's guitar-driven songs, redefining the Morella's Forest aesthetic.
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Super Deluxe
Morella's Forest Lyrics
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