Morning Runner - Wilderness Is Paradise Now

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 6 / 3 / 2006

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Review

The much hyped Morning Runner have released ‘Wilderness in Paradise Now’ album on Parlophone, which is also Coldplay’s label. Chris Martin and his boys have allegedly said that they were an influence on the way they wrote ‘X and Y'. ‘It’s Not Like Everyone’s My Friend’ begins as a full guitar attack, but it soon slows down. It melody has a 70’s middle of the road rock feel to it and recalls bands like the Eagles, while its chorus finds the group in Keane and Coldplay territory. ‘Have A Good Time’ is thrashier, with singer Matthew Greener’s vocals sounding a lot like those of the Waterboys’ Mike Scott. ‘Gone Up in Flames’ sounds like a shouty Starsailor. You can see them pulling in the whole teenage NME crowd with these pop style ballads as they wait for the new Keane album. ‘Burning Beaches’sounds like Coldplay on speed, while ‘Holding Your Breat’, is slowly delivered on piano and guitar, and sounds like the Waterboys again and also David Gray. ‘Oceans’ is fragile and delicate, while ‘The Great Escape’ is acoustic guitar based, and again sounds like David Gray,.’Be All You Want to Be’ is angrier and recalls Interpol. ‘Punching Walls’ is a sing-a-long Waterboys number, while ‘Work. Work’ has a faster beat and edge to it. It again recollects the Waterboys. It ends with ’Best for You', which is slower and pleasant enough, but once more finds Morning Runner on David Gray territory.

Track Listing:-

1 It's Not Like Everyone's My Friend
2 Have a Good Time
3 Gone up in Flames
4 Burning Benches
5 Hold Your Breath
6 Oceans
7 The Great Escape
8 Be All You Want Me to Be
9 Punching Walls
10 Work
11 Best for You