The Monday Mornings

Add Date: January 11 

Artist: The Monday Mornings 

Album: Fireweed Parade 

Label: Self-released 

Genre: Rock, folk 

Comments: Throughout Fireweed Parade, the new LP from The Monday Mornings, I can't help but think about Carissa's Wierd, the Pacific Northwest band from the late '90s that, while often forgotten itself, spawned the careers of Band of Horses, The Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone. (If you were around last summer, you were probably introduced to CW's folk-infused, melancholy indie rock through a retrospective released by Sub Pop's sister label Hardly Art.)

Monday Mornings frontman Michael Mearns turns out to be a terrific songwriter, and he's built a terrific band around what used to be his solo project. Katie Mosehauer's violin, string arrangements and backing vocals--not to mention her artwork for the record--complement everything that Mearns does quite well, and the same can be said for the other members of what is now a 5-piece. Sadly, bassist Evan Robertson passed away during the making of the album last spring, which understandably delayed its release until now.

Check out "Shift the Sea," "All Rise" and "Claim Gold God."