New York, NY – Stinky Records’ genre-defying quartet incorporates the best elements of electronic beats with the ambience and rhythm of early underground dance music with lush, rock-based guitars and soaring vocals on their sophomore album. Titled “Branches†it is available everywhere in the United States, as well as internationally at your local amazon.com (Canada, Japan, Europe, etc) and CDUniverse.
Branches is streaming in full at AOL.com. Fans can check it out at: http://spinner.aol.com/artists/new-releases-full-cds to listen to Branches in its entirety. They are also slated to perform in New York City, Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as well as at Camp Bisco 6 before they kick off a Fall U.S. tour. For dates please see below.
Since the release of their debut album, Morning Stanzas, Benzos have built a passionate live following for their heavily improvisational live shows, sharing stages with acts such as She Wants Revenge, Lake Trout, the Benevento-Russo Duo and Phoenix. Co-produced by Woody Ranere of Lake Trout, the new album marks a return to Celaya and Brian Joyce’s (guitar/vocals) early influences of rave and house music and culture, as well as a deepening emphasis on the hip hop and drum and bass sound that Eiko Peck (bass) and Steve Bryant (drums/sampling) have long cultivated. The result of the band members’ experimentation with different moods and textures in their songwriting is a sound that melds each of their respective styles into a cohesive unit that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Branches captures Benzos’ diverse influences as ass-shakin’ rhythm section grooves, “mash up” with the band’s ambient, emotionally resonant guitar and synth instrumentation throughout the album. From the drum n’ bass overtones of “Hurt Everybody” to the infectious melodies of “Phase 2” to the dynamic vehemence of “Crooked Hands,” “Branches” engrosses you with transcendent emotions and complex, highly danceable rhythms that leave you wanting more.
For more information check out Benzos on the Web at: http://www.benzosmusic.com/ and for press resources please refer to: http://www.planetarygroup.com/02benzos.php.
Catch Benzos live:
08.07 New York, NY @ 205 Chrystie at Stanton (special live performance at record release party)
08.09 New York, NY @ Knitting Factory w/ Say Hi To Your Mom
08.17 Boston, MA @ Middle East Upstairs w/ Foreign Islands, Unstoppable Black Clouds, Barnicle
08.18 Mariaville, NY @ Camp Bisco w/ The Disco Biscuits, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Amon Tobin, The Juan Mclean, Girl Talk
08.22 Philadelphia, PA @ Khyber Bar w/ Tulsa, Ludlow Lions
08.31 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theatre w/ Men, Women & Children
See below for advance praise for BRANCHES:
“On ‘Phase 2,’ the earnest New York-based quintet hits the ground running with rhythmic house beats and Brit-inspired new-new wave guitar licks, and keep things out of the box by blending beautifully reverberating lead guitar accents over a backbeat and synthesizer chord that demands you to the discotheque floor.†– Spin.com
“In the mold of bands such as Ours or Palalto (read: Americans who think they’re British), Benzos has more experimental bones in their bodies than the other Brit-pop wannabes.†– Redeye, Chicago Tribune
“While the guitars are often at the forefront of the album’s 12 songs (with the six strings crashing in dramatic contrast to the preceding lines of hypnotic synth), what’s most pervasive throughout ‘Branches’ is a spirit of experimentation that the band shares with Radiohead.†– Gibson.com
“Benzos’ strength is an emphasis on the music, never allowing any one element to dominate or stand out, or to disrupt the harmonies.†– Blogcritics
“Though the quartet mostly centers on a Brit-pop sound, they incorporate hip hop, house, jazz and atmospheric rock flourishes to create songs that are difficult to categorize.†– The Deli NY
“Benzos haven’t released anything too epic or pretentious with ‘Branches,’ but they have put quite a beautiful stamp on melancholic indie rock.†– Absolute Punk