Ed O'Brien's Blue Morpho - Album First Impressions
I came back from the listening event here in Corona (I highly recommend DBZ Books N Records if you're in the area and looking for a record or two). Overall, I really enjoyed Ed's latest project. Personally, I find that a great way to describe this album is to split it into 2 parts.
The first half - the first 3 songs - feels introspective. As for the final half - the final 4 songs - the tracks suddenly shift in tone to become surprisingly upbeat and hopeful. Much like Ed's debut album, the guitar work is solid and the use of percussion continues hinting at his time being in Brazil. His use of the orchestra is also quite excellent.
A complaint I can see people having with the album is that it lets Ed's vocals take a backseat. I personally think that isn't such an awful thing since doing so allows the instrumentation to really shine. His voice here is complimentary more than it is prominent.
In short, I think you will all enjoy the album as I did today. This album will definitely get another listen from me, which will allow me to further develop my thoughts on each track. With that said, I think the tracks that currently stand out the most are definitely Teachers and Obrigado with the latter arguably being Ed's best solo work so far.