SOTD #8 // The Morning Benders: 'Promises'

Signed to the US arm of Rough Trade, The Morning Benders are one of the more exciting indie rock propositions I’ve heard in a long while. Flaunting a laid-back (dare I say it) “groove” whilst maintaining a tight as hell rhythm section a la Grizzly Bear (no surprise that Grizzly’s Chris Taylor is co-producer) this Berkeley, CA four-piece may finally be onto great things with their second full length album Big Echo. The follow up to 2008′s debut Talking Through Tin Cans sees the band take their cues from Phil Spector’s “Wall Of Sound” – the album title Big Echo being a slight giveaway. They’re not afraid to admit to the Spector influence either, San Francisco based blog YoursTru.ly posted up a letter the guys wrote to the notorious producer to go alongside a rather magnificent video of the band performing album opener “Excuses” live alongside “The Big Echo Orchestra” (featuring Christopher Owens of Girls and John Vanderslice).

‘Promises’, today’s Song Of The Day could be seen as a sunnier cousin to Grizzly Bear’s ‘While You Wait For The Others’ – you’ll know what I mean once you hear the *that* signature Chris Taylor bass sound. Thick harmonies and off-kilter time signatures permit the track, coupled with a gorgeous slouchy groove make this an irresistible slice of West Coast pop – the only thing you can do once it’s finished is hit the play button again. Get involved! Download below.

mp3:> The Morning Benders: “Promises”