War Psalms

Continuing to move away from their ska-punk beginnings, Ezra Kine and company return with War Psalms, the most mature and eclectic album to date from his solo project turned full-time band Morning Glory. Moving quickly from track to track, the album is a sonic whirlwind, sometimes feeling like a series of rapid-fire vignettes that move from subject to subject and from mood to mood before the listener ever has a chance to get bored. Although this gives the album an engaging, high-intensity feeling, where War Psalms really succeeds is its longer songs. Tracks like "Know Your Wrongs" feel like epic punk rock operas, and make for a nice change of pace from the musical channel surfing of the shorter numbers. While War Psalms is certainly a long way from Morning Glory's humble beginnings as a bedroom recording project, the album shows a maturity that marks it as the beginning of an exciting new era for the band. ~ Gregory Heaney