Rating: 4/5
Verdict: Chamber pop that demands you sit up and smell the roses
The Morning Benders' second album is one to wake up listening to. Its opener, Excuses, which is the first single, collides as a piece of willowy yet thumping orchestral indie rock that could be said to
mimic the sounds of daybreak - the earth warming, creatures stretching their limbs and everyone sailing or stumbling or sobbing their way through the day.
It's the first sign that these four young guys from Berkeley, known for touring with big names like the Flaming Lips and the Black Keys, are not afraid of hitting perfect, pretty melodies and showing off their sensitive side.
The influence of Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear on this album is immediately obvious - the tracks still meander through harmonies, repetitive chords and da-da-dums, but this time they really pack a punch. Frontman Christopher Chu forged the relationship between the bands when he contacted Taylor to tell him how much he loved his music a while back.
Chu's youthful and sometimes whimsical vocals have always evoked a preppy nostalgia, much like other Californian indie bands. But now, accompanied by layers upon layers of percussion and melody, he has created something not whimsical but peacefully powerful.
Cold War is a thicker, echoey rock'n'roll track, while over on the B-side Hand Me Downs combines thick guitar fuzz with Chu's feathery vocals and everything collides at the end with chimes. Very poetic.
