What I've heard most about Barbara Morgenstern is that John Darnielle (of the Mountain Goats) adores her, so he recently took her on the road as the opener on his most recent tour. Sadly, I missed both appearances (I'm so obsessed with The Sunset Tree, I've had to place a restraining order on myself).
I haven't fallen for Morgenstern or her debut full-length, The Grass Is Always
Greener, as dangerously hard. It doesn't sock me in the stomach or force
a lump around the glands in my neck. But that's OK, because it's pretty and
pleasant and fragile and lovely. Can't have every album inducing obsessive repeat
playing, overdose and then removal from substance.
Instead, Morgenstern — a German electro-pop artist — provides friendly,
fluttering beats and sweet, caressing vocals for careless times of non-indulgence.
It's music for feeling healthy, happy and well adjusted — it is not an escape
from problems or gentle coating for them, just nicely arranged organ, piano and
beeps and bleeps that take me back to the minimal, simplistic and innocent-feeling
electronic artists of the early '90s. Some tracks are English, others are German,
some are sung, others are instrumental — all are pretty and gliding-on-air,
with wee emotion subtly hiding in the undercurrent.
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