Benzos - Morning Stanzas

Genre rock Publisher Stinky Records External Links Official Website Stinky Records

Clearly, the world doesn't need another brooding, atmospheric group with sensitivities attuned to the frothing female alt-rock proletariat, but Benzos offers up more musicianship than your typical Radiohead wannabe. Morning Stanzas shows that Benzos, while likely welcoming the similarities to the popularizers of mope, are a solid band with something more to prove.

To be fair, Stanzas, sounds more like Coldplay than Thom Yorke's crew, but the homage is there. "It's Amiable" could be "Exit Music, Part Two," and not just for the blasé title. The reverb drenched guitars and pained vocals speaking of niceties between friends really have their lineage in the Radiohead bloodstream. So, in essence, they are third or fourth generation, only bearing a slight resemblance to The Bends epoch.

Stanzas is the official debut of a quintet of New York musicians with a skilled background of musicianship and variety, and it comes through on the album, notably by cousins Christian Celaya and Michael Ortega. Amazing that the most accomplished musicians can still put all their brainpower together and come up with something they think is radically different, still sounds awfully redundant.

It may be just a step in their grand scheme, but Benzos has a sound that isn't quite that bland. Typically the band strays in and out, stuttered timing in tracks "You're Forever an Hourglass" and "Warm Road" and cleverly changing from rapid fire beats to sweet melodies at a drop of a Greenwood. There is even a long, tense build up in "Elia" that would make one forget where the song started and causing the listener to crave where it will end.

Stanzas is full of these little musical masterpieces, unfortunately the lyrics and vocals restrain the listeners joy. Owing too much to the Yorke/Martin school of yowl, Celaya and Ortega are not convincing enough and, at times, come off as poor imitators. For a young band it's not a problem, eventually they should be able to grow into more of their own style, but here on the debut it doesn't play well.

If you are in the mood for a harder-edged Mercury Rev or a hyper version of Coldplay, this is the album for you. Benzos most likely will be pushed under the table with the imminent Coldplay release, but time will tell if they get their day in the alt-rock sunshine.