Fifteen songs in just under half of an hour. And we're not dealing with a stepped up 4/4 time signature, either. How much greatness can Dave and Joseph manage to pack in to such a short collection of songs? More than you can shake a stick at!
With songs averaging just under 2 minutes per, it can be hard to get fully into – and behind – what takes place on a Swearing at Motorists release, and in many ways Last Night Becomes This Morning suffers from the same problem. On more than a handful of songs, you'll find yourself just getting into the groove of a song, only to be left holding an empty bag as it comes to an abrupt halt. That is really the only problem with the Motorists. The good news is that when you see them live, songs are often stretched out a bit, and Dave might even add a line or two, just to mix things up. Honestly, sometimes its just nice to listen to a band that is absent of pretense and doesn't liberally paint every line they write with allegory and symbolism. The Motorists fit that bill.
Last Night Becomes This Morning stays true to the roots of the Motorists: keep it short, keep it simple, keep it honest. There is no threat of the 'wall of sound' coming into play, here. The music is, very often, just basic guitar strumming paired with snappy drumming. Sure, there's the odd horn here and there, and there is the unexpected harmony from time to time; but, by and large, this is a collection of songs that can be played live by the “Two-Man Who” without the need of drastic arrangement changes. That, to many, is the beauty of this band. It's two guys, a guitar and a drum kit. What's hard to understand about that? “Losing The Battle, Losing The War”, “Northern Line” (the best damn song they've ever done), and “Not Tonight” are prime examples of the Motorists doing what they do – there are others, sure, but those stand out.
The music is bare-bones and easily absorbed, but that wouldn't mean anything if the vocals and lyrics didn't pair up well. Understand something: when I say that the words you hear here are simplistic, think in terms of simply honest, not in terms of your average top 40 act who write the kinds of songs that kids can scream along to at overpriced shows...cool? The songs on Last Night... are straight-forward pieces in the vein of 'the stuff of life' (a less heady Tim Kasher, perhaps?). “Losing The Battle, Losing The War” is a great way to start off proceedings, really...it's about the struggle most people suffer through, the struggle to feel okay. The thing of it is, there is hardly a track that can't be related to by folks of a certain disposition. When Dave croons about indecision, longing, heartbreak or regretfully having fucked up, most listeners will certainly be able to empathize with how that makes him feel. Even on the occasions where he's story-telling in absentia, you're going to get it. As with the melodies, less is definitely more in most cases with the Motorists. The vocals are evocative and the harmonies are quite appropriate when applied.
Yes, there are songs that are too short, that end all-too-suddenly...but you won't feel cheated, not when everything is taken as a whole. The tracks on Last Night... may be more of the same old, same old, but for some reason this band just gets tighter, smarter and better with each subsequent release. I hope for their sake that they make it big some day, but for my sake, I kind of hope they don't. I like knowing that if I go check out a set, I can go up to them afterwards and throw figurative laurels at their feet and offer them a beer or five. Do yourself a favor and pick this up, then pick up the rest of their stuff, then listen to all of them in a row...it might just be the best two and a half hours of your life.