Review Summary: With their second LP, The Morning Benders craft a more refined album that grows into one of the better albums in 2010
Unless you’re a big fan of Grizzly Bear, you might say they let Grizzly Bear bassist and producer Christopher Taylor exert too much of his influence in producing this album. Though this certainly has a more familiar indie sound than their rawer debut, "Talking Through Tin Cans," they don’t use this as an excuse to fall into mediocrity. They have a very old school, almost beatles-esque, type of musical camaraderie that’s evident in their sound; few vocalists today can harmonize the way these guys do, so even when instrumentation begins to sound a lot like all that other stuff out today, it’s never too long before they manage to add some novelty to it.
“Promises” is the album’s hook largely because it’s got such an infectious beat. They also give a nice range of sounds in this track that allows them to showcase the many different directions with which they are capable of going. Yet the band is at its most soulful during “Pleasure Sighs,” where they lament:
‘What has become
Of those simple loves
That came to me once,
So naturally’
Opener “Excuses,” is refreshingly untraditional, and it’s got a nice draw as well as beautiful harmonies echo throughout the track. If a modern artist like
Beck had had the chance of producing a Beach Boys album, a bunch of tracks would probably have come out that do not sound all that different from this – not too many bands I’ve ever head can bridge a gap like that.
Though most of their other songs are slow and daydreamy, they do speed up a bit and help balance the album out with the likable tracks, “Cold War” and “All Day Daylight,” and never have a serious misstep in the entire album (except perhaps “Hand me Downs”).
Having produced two completely different albums, the Morning Benders demonstrate they have the kind of range to be major players in the coming years. If they couple their newfound resources with a little distance from their contemporaries, these guys could be major players in the years to come. Until then, buy this album and give it some spins. You won’t be disappointed.
Recommended Tracks:
Promises
Excuses
Cold War
Sleeping In
. Hopefully I fixed a bit of what you mentioned.
