After seeing the Morning Benders at Lollapalooza 2010, I was eager to give them a second chance at wowing me. The outdoor festival setting and the bright and early set time felt like a poor match to the Benders' washy, reverb-soaked sound. The obnoxiously cute group got that second chance at Paradise Rock Club.
The Morning Benders don't rely on their looks to draw a crowd. Within seconds of their set, the Benders' talent shone: Chris and Jon Chu's remarkable control over guitar tone, the spot-on vocals (harmonies included), the beautiful instrumentation. These kids know how to write hits. In crafting their setlist, they find a good balance, making the catchy, poppier songs flow between the more musically impressive ones. Also, did I mention that they're all really cute?
While the Chus' downstrokes created a crunching sound that reverberated off the Paradise's walls, their upstrokes created a tearing noise to cut off the chords rapidly. Combined with layers of fast-strumming, wispy high notes, they built songs like "Stiches" to perfection. With Tim Or contributing a clunking bassline and Julian Harmon adding toms and a single, giant ride cymbal, the Benders' live version of the tune felt almost post-rock. Crunchy, tearing, and clunky describe it well, as "Stitches" offered a soundscape that I wish the Morning Benders would explore more. Had I heard that song repeated ten times throughout the set, I would've been happy. It dramatically built to the climax of Chris' repeated line, "You don't know me by name," with the singer shredding on the highest frets of the guitar.
While old cuts such as "Boarded Doors" and "Waiting for a War" were groovy and powerful, newer songs felt lacking. Big Echo tracks such as "Mason Jar" and "Wet Cement" seemed lost and out of place in a setlist where upbeat songs were awkwardly alternating with more ambient or funky jams.
"Excuses" incited the singalong I wish I experienced at Lolla, and it was a wonderful set closer. It took little of Chris' encouragement to get the crowd singing, with overly ambitious fans offering harmonies from the get-go. Chris urged dancing for "Cold War," and the crowd warmly welcomed a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." However, the mood was killed when the group decided to encore with a new song, leaving eighty-percent of the crowd nodding their heads uncomfortably, probably wishing they saved one of the best for last.
Oberhofer and Twin Sister opened the show. Oberhofer deserves their CMJ-propelled buzz, mixing what sounded like Voxtrot, hardcore breakdowns, and adorable lyrics to create generally fun music. Twin Sister seemed to have some hardcore fans in the crowd, but their timidity reflected in their music, making the set a little uncomfortable.
