Benzos - Branches
Rating
RIYL
RooneyRadiohead
Interpol
Boy Kill Boy
Tracklist
1. Sell This Thing2. Phase 2
3. Branches
4. Portland
5. Hard to Feel
6. Teach Me
7. On Your Own
8. Life
9. Hurt Everybody
10. Crooked Hands
11. Translucent
12. Pere
Users RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Your RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Like a sprinter more content with jogging, Benzos’ second album, Branches, comes limping across the finish line in comparison to their debut, Morning Stanzas. Benzos have opted for a more experimental, bloated direction. Following in the footsteps of previous deconstructionist albums such as Kid A by Radiohead and They Were So Wrong They Drowned by Liars, Benzos strips their music to its core, filling in the rest with filler sound, often mistaken for creativity. However, unlike both Liars and Radiohead, Benzos' foray into deconstructionist material is not as successful, not breathing new life into the music, but rather, making it feel boring and over worked.
Take the opening track, for example. “Sell This Thing” features a decent chorus with crashing guitars and pulsing bass and drums that would seem to work if it were not for the overly apathetic verse portion of the song which just serves to slow it down. This becomes the trend for most of the album where the songs sound alright in places but Benzos have over thought them, trying to build up to something that doesn’t deserve the attention or labor.
The album, while ostensibly a guitar and drum record, experiments with electronic drums (as Morning Stanzas used well), keyboard, and other various instruments to attempt and add depth to the sound. Instead of utilizing these additional pieces to any sort of pay off, as was evident in the band’s debut, it just serves to make each song overly long and draw the listener away from the parts that are worth listening to. Half of the record feels tacked on, trying to bulk it up and make it feel meaningful, while in reality, it’s just another mediocre indie-rock record offering the scene nothing to get excited about -- just something to put on the shelves.
Don’t write off Benzos completely, though. The album, in the portions that are decipherable, has moments where you want to keep listening, but not enough of them to warrant a purchase. It lacks enough consistency in its songwriting to keep the listener compelled to sit through the ambience to get to the good stuff. Songs like “Phase 2” recall the immediacy and buzz of Morning Stanzas, but the rest of the album feels like it’s just a rehash with unnecessary additions. The sharp, angular guitars that are supposed to set the mood are overshadowed by the excess of instrumentation. Benzos need to scale back and strip down their music to its core in order to grow. Right now it sounds as if they’re trying to substitute in different sounds and are calling that growth. However, it just makes the entire record a sedative.
--Matt McGraw
Comments
VT
My Top Songs of '09
The Appleseed Cast//as the little things go
Caspian//sycamore
Sunwrae//Chinook Winds
Dredg//down to the seller
If These Trees Could Talk//the sun is in the north
From Monument to Masses//an ounce of prevention
Straylight Run//i'm through with the past
LpShinobi's Post-Rock and Shoegazing Recommendation, via YouTube
Lpshinobi's Post-Rock Band, New Song Posted
Boca Raton,FL