Morella's Forest - Blue (Blue)

"Morella's Forest was a different band in 1996. After writing and recording their debut the year before (the fuzzed-out shoegaze classic Super Deluxe), MoFo hit the road, touring with Starflyer 59 and playing the summer festival circuit. They returned home to Dayton tighter than ever and with a distinct musical identity, reflected in the eleven songs that would become their sophomore release Ultraphonic Hiss. The band headed to Chicago's Playground Studio to record with Keith Cleversley (known for his work with The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev and HUM), whose influence can be heard clearly. Gone are the extended bouts of feedback and layers of distorted guitar, traded instead for a collection of '90s indie pop gems, wrapped in dreamy guitar reverberations and topped with Sydney's lilting vocals. The music press took note of Morella's Forest's refined sound (and candy-themed song titles), with College Music Journal calling the album "awfully hard to resist" while Dayton Voice was hypnotized.