We'll still be best friends when all turns to dust

All Asians have nimble fingers. They enable us to skillfully play a musical instrument (in most cases, the piano or violin) and are a direct factor in our excellent math skills--our little fingers can dance around a calculator faster than you can say "soy sauce." And Chris Chu confirmed this accurate stereotype (as all stereotypes tend to be) when his fingers slid up and down a guitar that was almost as big as he was. (I caught those fingers in action in the vid below).

Chu's nimble fingers and the rest of the morning benders put on a great show Friday night (3/12/10), playing songs from their new album, BIG ECHO, which hit the shelves just three days before they hit the Local 506. And despite my apprehensions, it was a great show. I mean, let's be honest, the Phil Spector-inspired Excuses performance is a hard one to follow. But the New York-based San Francisco band brought heartfelt chamber-pop of the 60s to Chapel Hill. And even without the dreamy violins and a large choir of friends, the five-piece band was still able to recreate the essence of a "wall of sound" during their delightful closing performance of Excuses. With the help of a loop pedal, Chu's a capella "bah-da-da-da-dums" and the audience (who were singing along at this point) as a stand-in for the choir, they filled the 506 with wonderfully charming music you can't help but sway to, and came pretty darn close to the Yours Truly video. It was pretty magical.
iTunes awarded BIG ECHO the "Indie Spotlight" this week, which means you can get the album for $7.99 and a bonus track free. What a bargain. Get it here.
"Promises"

Rivers, mountains and smoking shirt jackets

Freelance Whales, Bear in Heaven, Cymbals Eat Guitars. All at the Local 506 on Sunday (3/7/2010). What a fantastic line-up.

I was most excited to see Freelance Whales, but I ended up being most impressed by Staten Island band, Cymbals Eat Guitars. There's something about seeing a band live that makes you realize their talent. Maybe it's being able to watch the music being created right in front of you, or maybe it's being able to see the sweat form as Joseph D'Agostino wears himself out for the pleasure of his audience. My friend observed during the performance that this guy didn't play the "band leader" act. And she was right...this guy is no lead singer. Instead, he blends in with his music, creating a cohesive sound for you to get lost in.

I find it hard to believe that Why There Are Mountains is their first, self-released album because of its remarkable sophistication. It's music that'll captivate you with its unpredictably structured rhythms and logically scattered lyrics. They're almost stream-of-consicious-like: "Natural American spirit doctorate/Make love to inanimate objects/Pasteboard decked out in Ikea finery," but it all somehow makes perfect sense. With no hooks, no catchy chorus, it's genuine music that you can drink in. My favorite is "And the Hazy Sea" with its intense crescendos that can only be followed by calming piano or guitar riffs to give you time to reflect. I'm interested to see what the future holds for these guys.

Freelance Whales didn't disappoint either. They've got a really distinct sound, like electro-pop meets folk music and they had a baby named Sufjan+whatever the lead singer from Snow Patrol's last name is. Plus, they've got a wide range of instruments, including a squishy box thing. I chatted with Kevin Read (who plays mostly guitar) to find out the squishy box is called a harmonium.

So how many instruments do you guys have?
Kevin Read: We have drums, bass, guitar, 2 synthesizers, a glockenspiel, harmonium, mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar...that's about it right now but we have other instruments that we don't bring on tour to save space.

You guys rotate a lot...it's like musical instruments. How many do you play?
KR: I started out playing guitar and bass. I also play mandolin, piano, keys, glockenspiel, banjo, I dabbled with the violin. Every once in awhile I pick it up. If I get good enough I'll bring it on our next tour. And I play drums a little, but it's very amateur--just to keep rhythm.

What defines you guys as a band? What makes you different?
KR: That's a hard question, there's so much music out there. But I think one thing that makes us different is our live show. We do a lot of stuff...like sometimes we do five-part harmonies. I can't think of a lot of bands that do that.

Like at the end of "Generator 2nd Floor" tonight?
KR: Yeah, well the album actually doesn't end anything like that. It ends maybe a minute or 2 shorter than our live performance. Tonight we extended it with an extensive breakdown.

What's your favorite song to play from the album?
KR: I really like "Generator 2nd Floor." And also, probably "Starring." It gives me a chance to do a lot of ambiance stuff. Like I do a lot of bowing of the guitar.

Yeah, tell me about that. I've never seen anyone do that.
KR: Well, a couple of people do it. I know the lead singer from Sigur Ros does it. But I actually got it from watching Jimmy Page. He used to do it back in the day.

Are you a big Led Zeppelin fan?
KR: Huge Zeppelin fan.

What's your favorite song?
KR: "Good Times Bad Times" from their first album. After that it would be "Out on the Tiles" from Led Zeppelin III.

If you were a fruit, which would you be?
KR: An apple. Because you can do a lot with apples...apple pie, apple cider. You can get drunk off an apple.
Chuck Criss: A pomegranate. Because I'm uh... a tasty seed.
KR: You like the difficulty, you give people a hard time.
CC: Yeah...it takes a lot of work and you open it and it's just a seed.

If a song played whenever you walked into a room, what song would it be?
KR: "LA Woman." That's a good song to drink a beer to.
CC: "Sandstorm" would be a good one. It's ridiculous.
KR: Yeah, like you're about to battle karate style.

If the world was going to end tomorrow, what would you do tonight?
KR: What are the premises? Do I have infininte speed?
CC: I'd solve world peace. I'd just be like...guys, just chill out.
KR: I vote streaking through the quad.
CC: Yeah that's probably the best answer. Although, it probably be more like strolling through the quad naked.
KR: Maybe have a cigarette naked.

We do have a beautiful quad here...

I should be writing my poli paper but instead I made this playlist

Listen to the morning benders - BIG ECHO

I've been anticipating this sophomore album from the morning benders ever since I watched Chris Chu and his dainty wrists conduct the opener, Excuses, in this fantastic video:

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

There's still a week to go before BIG ECHO comes out on Rough Trade (3/9/10), but starting today, it's streaming in full for a week from the band's website. Chu had help from Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor recording the album, whose influence can subtly be heard throughout the album. Especially, in the dreamy Sleeping In--a collision of sounds under beautifully haunting vocals.

Annnnnd we get to see the benders L-I-V-E right here in Chapel Hill (Local 506) just three days after the album drops. What a treat.

Until then, enjoy: