Album Review: Teen Daze – Morning World
2 min read
Jamison has always been a bit of a bedroom producer. His music under the Teen Daze name exists in the electronic realm, ranging between ambient productions and upbeat tracks depending on the release you’re looking at. With five years of experience under his belt, he has well and truly established his talents. It’s surprising, then, that Morning World is a whole other beast entirely.
The style of the album isn’t all that new for Teen Daze; it still has a chilled out vibe to it that’s been present in his previous releases, but the style is much more akin to indie pop. Featuring live percussion, prominent guitar, piano and even strings finding their way onto a majority of the tracks here, it’s a drastic change even if you’re only basing it off of A World Away, his previous album from earlier this year.
It’s not a bad change, though. It’s a reinvention that still feels natural and makes for a compelling listen. His soft vocals work well with this style, and their more prominent place in this album is easily justified. The new instrumentation gives the album a nostalgic feel, with the lack of electronics harmonizing with his albums’ common theme of being one with nature. Good Night is especially engaging, possibly the defining moment of the album, despite featuring only piano and vocals; it’s a gentle moment lets you breathe after an entire album of lush, ambient indie pop.
While it’s hard to say whether or not Morning World is stronger than his previous albums, it’s certainly not a step down. Producer John Vanderslice has helped Jamison bring out a completely different side of his music that highlights his skills on an entirely different level, equally compelling and enjoyable as everything that came before. Whether he decides to stick to this direction or not, Jamison’s new-found versatility will no doubt prove very useful on albums to come.
