Pure Adulterated Joy

For their second album, Essex, England’s Morning Parade continue where their self-titled debut left off. Produced by Animal Collective’s Ben Allen, Pure Adulterated Joy has an arena-pop-rock sound that straddles many decades. The synths are clearly ‘80s. The angst is pure ‘90s. And the execution could only occur after both those decades were well in the rearview. Thankfully, Morning Parade spare us the obnoxious levels of reverb most favored by bands in this second decade of the 2000s. Instead, they allow the guitars to cut through the rhythm section. A tune like “Love Thy Neighbor” immediately rewards this faith with an anthemic power that’s been a major component of the music since the first days of punk rock. Frontman Steve Sparrow is capable of great dynamics and “Car Alarms & Sleepless Nights” illustrates the band’s ability to take the slow lane without losing their power. In fact, it leads to the album’s finest instrumental work as the song reaches its middle. “Reality Dream” could be the anthem for anyone frustrated by the endless narcissism of ‘reality TV.’