As a young music addict-in-training, my fingers thumbed through my parents’ vast collection of vinyl, meeting the likes of Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton and The Who, for just a brief starting list.  While I was raised on a wild array of genres — in my house, it was perfectly normal to watch opera on TV and then blast Cyndi Lauper’s brilliant album She’s So Unusual — as I matured, I found myself primarily drawn to music with a sense of storytelling and craftsmanship.  It didn’t matter what the genre was; I just wanted to be taken on a journey.

While the indie music scene is more robust when it comes to that sort of stellar songwriting style, the raw, melodic bass-dripping classic rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd isn’t in abundant supply.  With new technology comes new creation and while I love it dearly, sometimes, I want to slip back into the comfort zone of bands shooting straight from the hip.

This road winds us at last to Toronto 4-piece Morning Fame.  Citing influences ranging from R.E.M. to The Cure, the band delivers a carefully layered and thoughtful sound in their music — a taste of contemporary alt-rock blended with the sprawl of Americana and a twist of swagger.  Leading off their latest release Back And Forth (a compilation of previous EP A Lasting Place and new tracks from their forthcoming 2013 album) is “The Colour Of Sound”, a stick-in-your-head track reminiscent of Automatic For The People days of Stipe’s songcraft with a detour into a more progessive jam space evoking Blue Oyster Cult.

Give it a spin below (or download for free from Soundcloud) and stay tuned to Morning Fame’s site for word of the new album’s release (also named The Colour Of Sound).  If this track is any indication, it’s an album to watch for in 2013.