Morning Stanzas

Artist: Benzos
Label: Stinky
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 803615001123
EAN: 0803615001123
ASIN: B0009AHCQQ

Release Date: 2005-05-17

Morning Stanzas

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Jazz | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

All The King's Men
You're Forever An Hourglass
It's Amiable
Warm Road
Glass Souls
The Blue Around You
Elia
Sore Eyes
Ideal Magnet
Mechanical Comrades
Spins

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Customer Reviews:

If you don't mind the lyrics..........2006-05-13

Instrumentally, this album is mindblowing. The melodies, percussion and overall band performance is nearly flawless. The drummer, bassist, and guitarist inparticular are brilliant, they are unbelievably tight and construct amazing edgy atmospheres and expertly craft tense buildup within the songs.

On the other hand, the only reason I'm giving this album a 4 and not a 5 is because the singer writes lame, teenage-grade lyrics. I truely feel ashamed to suggest this band to anyone else because the initial reaction that people have had is that this band "has a terrible singer". I ask why. And they state that the lyrics are terrible. I nod my head in agreement.

Download a few songs, and if you don't care about the lyrics, then, by all means, go and buy it.

refreshingly great!.......2005-06-06

i know i made this band sound like a soft drink in the title but i really can't stress enough how much i like this! having worn out all my radiohead and jeff buckley records, it was nice to find a band like this (on myspace of all places!) when the band randomly added me, i was all like "oh boy, here we go" but i got hooked on the two songs on the site ("glass souls" in particular) and i pretty much had to get the record! glad i did too! it was a pain to find but it was worth it! lots of really cool arrangements and some of the best drumming i've heard in a while. the whole thing has an ambient kid a texture meets jazzy/drum n bass type rhythms. i recommend it to people into well-constructed pop that isn't completely formula.

Best Morning Stanzas Ever.......2005-05-31

I got the song Glass Souls off of the abercrombie and fitch website and i thought it was amazing, so of course i had to buy the cd. I absolutely loved the rest of the songs, except all the king's men. Some of the best are Elia, Ideal Magnets, and The Blue Around You. The lyrics are beautifully different and the music is impossible to stop listening to. I recommend this CD to everyone who is tired of listening to all the millions of "alt/indie" bands that sound exactly the same.

Intricate, beautiful.......2005-05-23

I first saw Benzos when they opened for Blonde Redhead (judging from the rest of the reviews of this album, that seems to be a common tale). I was really taken with them and immidiately went looking for recordings. Unfortunately I had to wait until last week for this one to come out! However, it totally meets the standard set by their excellent live show.

"Morning Stanzas" is a pretty, complex indie album. The arrangements of guitar, bass, drums, vocals and programmed elements all blend together for something that sounds mellow at first listen, but has a kind of subtle intensity the more you listen to it. The vocals are soft and breathy a lot of the time, a style which I really enjoy. The guitars are really melodic and the guitar playing is unique, especially compared to most of the bands playing music like this. The rhythm section is very tight and their parts get almost mathy at points.

Overall I love this album. A must for fans of Blonde Redhead, Radiohead, The Postal Service, My Bloody Valentine, etc.

Thoughtful Atmospheric Rock.......2005-05-02

Like the writer of the first review for this album, I was also introduced to Benzos through their opening performance for Blonde Redhead. I have never liked an opening band before I saw Benzos, so I was impressed enough to go do some research on them and find out how to get their album. Much to my dismay, I had to wait 6 months to get it.

I had the opportunity to hear this album through the college radio station I dj at (and I got my copy personally from the band) and I had to say that it was worth the wait. I love every song, except for the mellow "It's Amiable" but everyone else I know loves that song...so there must be something wrong with me there.

For a debut album, Morning Stanzas is well thought out and has multi-layered songs that most bands don't really start writing until later in their careers. The production quality is also quite good. If I had to compare the Benzos to other bands I'd say they were the Doves and Radiohead (OK Computer era) combined. Perhaps that is the one bad thing about the Benzos, though. For some moments they sound too much like an array of other bands, but that is to be expected for a first attempt. Overall, though, in today's music scene filled with dance pop throw backs to the 80s and little boys screaming about heartache, Morning Stanzas is a much needed relief.

I'm already looking foward to see what the band comes out with next. And if you ever get a chance see Benzos live. They will blow you away.

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Thanks

Fondy in New Orleans

Watermelon Man: Live at Montreux ~ Mongo Santamaria

Pra Sempre e Mais Um Dia ~ Zizi Possi

Pik Sibbe ~ Bap

Formula 2 ~ Loretta Goggi

Coleccion 78 RPM: 1946-1950 ~ Enrique Franchini, Armando Pontier

Sertanejo V.2 ~ Various Artists