Morning Benders Remix EP Benefits Japan
In response to the devastating disaster, Bay Area to Brooklyn transplants the Morning Benders put together an EP of unreleased remix tracks with 100% of proceeds going to the Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund.
The Morning Benders released their first album, Talking Through Tin Cans, in 2008 and never looked back. They are one of those bands that seemed to be able to perfect the formula to sweet sounding success without preying on a passing trend or clutching to a skyward cliché.
Their songs are timeless in a way that has not only enabled them a good deal of accomplishment but also has landed their music on such unlikely places as a Sony and Reese’s commercial, the sitcom Chuck, and a skateboarding video.
With the demise of music sales, television and visual media licensing has become many musician’s bread and butter, replacing album sales royalties, and The Morning Benders are no exception to that transition. Aside from licensing, the ever-important live show seems to have taken on more weight recently, where not only are you are treated to a limited and intimate experience but it is one that can never be replicated.
This is the note guitarist and lead singer Chris Chu wrote to fans in the wake of the disaster announcing the release of the new EP entitled Japan Echo EP:
Last week we were scheduled to go to Tokyo to play our first show ever in Japan. It was going to be a very special trip for us, and for me in particular. I had always dreamt of going back to Japan to play music. Not many people know this, but I was actually born in Japan, and although I only lived there for a couple years, I’ve always had a deep love for the country and its people. I cannot express how sad and helpless I’ve felt reading about everything that is happening there right now, and even though we couldn’t bet here, we wanted to do everything we could to help.
We love you Japan.
xo,
Chris
I am usually not a huge fan of remix albums but what I am a huge fan of is giving aid when and where help is hugely needed. The EP is light, danceable and catchy — not unlike The Morning Benders’ music — but it also plays with the timing of the original tracks and effects Chu’s vocals, making him sound like a choir of different singers. Like every good remix album, it is riddled with lively rhythms and catchy turnarounds. This is a cause worth supporting and a band worth hearing — remixed or straight up.
Listen to a sample track off of Japan Echo EP:
[audio:http://pulse.www.sfstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/08-Promises-Star-Slinger-Remix.mp3] Promises (Star Slinger Remix)
