The Morning Benders are very good at many things, and likeability is high on that list. On Talking Through Tin Cans, their irresistibility came from their channeling of The Shins but executing it like early Beatles. Syrupy, instant feel good record? Yes please.
And, just as alluring as the opening chords to “Dammit Anna” were on their previous full length album, The Morning Benders begin Big Echo with the ever comforting crackling sound of vinyl, and diffuse into a ballad—yes, a ballad and a fucking good one at that—“Excuses”.
When did this happen? When did The Morning Benders graduate from elementary school and enter the quiet realms of teenage heartbreak? The atmosphere evoked is like journeying through 80’s melancholia, whilst refraining from actually channeling bands like Joy Division or The Smiths. Big Echo is like that quiet kid in the class who was secretly in love with you…subtle, reserved but overflowing with emotion just waiting to be found out.
But it doesn’t stop at that, the record is full of surprises, like when they dabble into the musical territory of fellow SF band The Dodos on “Cold War (Nice Clean Fight)” or when they get uncharacteristically aggressive on “Hand Me Downs”. Go out on Tuesday and buy this record, and listen to it as you drive to the beach, before it gets sunny and warm. Cloudy days have never seen a better soundtrack.
4.2/5
The Morning Benders - Hand Me Downs [mp3]
you can stream the whole record HERE, but just know that it's gonna make you want to hold this album in your hands even more than you already do.
