Drive Til Morning – S/T / 10 Songs / 2003 Deep Elm Records / [email protected] / http://www.drivetilmorning.net / http://www.deepelm.com

Francis Garcia, the ideologue behind Drive Til Morning, brings to the forefront “Palm Trees Sway”, which speaks as much in its intricate instrumentation than the less than 20 words it has a lyrics. Cozying up to the warm sound of a synthesizer, Drive Til Morning goes through “Orange and Tweed” will vocals that effectively act as black text on white paper – they provoke a response due to their extreme contrast. Much more country-oriented than Conor Oberst, Drive Til Morning just seems more realistic – the twang in Francis’s voice as well as the country chords, especially in tracks such as “By Scenic Highway”. In fact, comparisons to ever-mentioned alt-country rockers Uncle Tupelo might just not be adequate enough to properly describe Drive Til Morning, or would any direct comparison with whatever act I choose to bring up. Simply put, this album is a culmination of whatever Punk, Country,, Post-punk, or Rock influences that listeners can hear in this self-titled solo debut. “The Pipebombs Bursting in Air”, for example, ties together vocals not unlike Elvis Costello with pseudo-steel guitar playing and Zevonian time signatures. The conventions that have held such large chasms between different genres, mainly held by individuals who claim to hold the sovereignty of the scene, are utterly broken by Drive Til Morning, as evidenced by the intrusion of an electronic breakdown in “Minutes Turn to Miles”. Drive Til Morning’s lyrics are the modern day equivalent of Catullan-era elegiac poetry; one song, (At the Center of the Universe) has a hopefully attachment to the love we never see, while the next song (Minutes Turn to Miles) shows the agony of a disappointed lover; the final line, “I could Almost hear paint peeling off of the walls, and leaves colliding with lawns. Wide awake at dawn. Was a hell of a way to usher in the new year” almost makes the pain palatable.

Top Track : Orange and Tweed