Roger's Year in Music 2014, No. 4: Pure Adulterated Joy, by Morning Parade.

A useful working definition of "bittersweet" as a concept: You're introduced to new music that genuinely inspires and moves, as performed by an English group called Morning Parade , then just a few months later, read the band's farewell on Facebook:

THE TRUTH, AN UPDATE AND OUR GOODBYE

Today is our time to come clean and reveal that with great thought and heavy sadness, we as 5 individuals have decided to call time on our journey as Morning Parade.

This is not down to musical differences, nor is it down to interpersonal relationships or band disagreements. It comes down to the simple reality that at this current point, for us to continue any further would be to do so at the detriment of our friendship, our personal, emotional, mental and financial well being, as well our enjoyment of music and memories of our time as Morning Parade.

Given that frontman Steve Sparrow seems the dominant musical influence (although it's never quite that simple in a group dynamic), I'll be looking for what happens next with him. In the interim, I reach back to Junior High school to find the appropriate words: "I just love this %#$@ record," especially this song:

But it doesn't stop there.

Morning Parade, I hardly knew ye ... but thanks for the memories.