Would-Be-Goods - The Morning After
Matinee Recordings

Describe a band or record as twee and suddenly it's gotten the short end of every stick around. The stigma of creating precious or quiet pop is unfounded in the indie rock world. I will never understand why every reviewer feels free to love Belle and Sebastian but anyone compared to the Scottish supergroup is automatically boring and crap.

The Morning After is a record that can hopefully break a few of those indier-than-thou mindsets away from the twee=bland equation. England's Would-Be-Goods, led by famed-in-certain-circles el recording artist Jessica Griffin, have created a new album of elegant and timeless guitar pop. At no point in time does guitarist Peter Momtichiloff (Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, Razorcuts and Scarlet's Well) break into major rock chords and strum as if his hands are afire... but nor is his guitar polite or apologetic. There should be nothing conciliatory about creating a sound this beautiful and soulful, even if it's not going to shift enough units to hit the charts. This playful record bounds between charming songs of identifying with a caged lion ('Big Cat Act') to French ballads alternating between patient chords and a surf rock anthem ('Le Crocodile').

Ok... the Smiths haven't actually been resurrected, but their material has. Matinee Recordings has asked the artists on their roster to "take a stab at a Smiths cover"... and are releasing the material to honor the 20th anniversary of the band. Included on the new compilation, "Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware", are The Lucksmiths, Would-Be-Goods, Pines, The Liberty Ship and more. The album will be available late in December via Matinee Mailorder or in January in record shops.