Miracle Temple
Merge
2013
Rating: 7 wifi passwords out of 10
Being a local band here to the Triangle, I've followed Mount Moriah from very early in their inception. It makes me both happy and sad to see them signed to Merge and getting greater recognition around the country. Selfishly, the shows are not only less frequent locally, but much less intimate; but I'm incredibly happy for the band, as they definitely deserve it.
I'm not in love with "Miracle Temple" the way I was with their self-titled record from 2011. And I would have been highly surprised and impressed if I was, as that record is one of my favorite things of the last few years. Nothing stands out on this one the way "Lament" did on the first album, but it's a very strong record from start to finish. My favorite song is actually the last one, "Telling the Hour," an interesting inclusion as a live version of this track was released as far back as their "The Letting Go" EP - the first thing they ever released as a band as far as I know.
This is still likely to be one of my favorite records of the year, but it;s definitely a grower compared to past albums. And let it be said if you were to give bonus points to a record review based on a band's live performances, this one would be ranked beyond perfect.
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