[portia] [amestory] [cineplexx] [the eye the ear and the arm] [the morning benders]

Paste
"There are at least a couple obligatory name-drops (Arcade Fire, The Walkmen) necessary when discussing the indie rock of the L.A.-based Amestory. But let this serve only as a compliment to a band that consistently churns out accomplished and epic tunes." Austin Ray

Impose
Amestory could probably not have picked a better title for their new EP, “they can sing, they can sing, they can sing underwater.” The image is dreamy, claustrophobic, like the album’s air-tight orchestration and its eerily mess-less production. At the same time, the title points obliquely to something the EP has a lot to do with: making a lot of noise and not being heard at all. Sofi Thanhauser

Status
If I had my way, "They Can Sing Underwater" would be heard, enjoyed and purchased by each person who ever owned a Modest Mouse and Built to Spill record.

West Coast Performer
A hit from an orchestral and lyrically mature band, there is certainly enough room to flesh this EP out into a full-length CD. Allison Foley

Delusions of Adequacy
...conjures up visions of Pink Floyd’s The Wall but in a much closer to home way with lines like “hide the guilt by hanging yellow ribbons in the trees.” Lisa Town

30music.com
This is an interesting new EP, following a self-titled 2005 debut, that finds the band expanding their scope and sounding bolder and better than before. It reminds me of the recent releases from The Besnard Lakes and The Twilight Sad. These are some really good songs, definitely worth a listen. Try the thinly-veiled attack on patriotism of “The March, The Parade” or the lovely swell of “The Glass Dome, The Real Air.” Josh Bledsoe

Perfect Porridge
Amestory strikes a delicate balance between Black Heart Procession on Prozac and Death Cab with a chamber pop edge...We haven’t heard their 2005 self-titled debut, but we do know this is an EP worth buying.

Obscure Sound
Picnic may very well go down as one of the most uniquely engaging releases of the year.

Paper Thin Walls
7.5, for "Espiral"

Stranded In Stereo
...substantive, devoid of the usual filler.

PopMatters.com
...a solid tableau of ominous angst and unbridled hope.

Amplifier Magazine
…refreshingly different.

All Music Guide
3.5/5 - ...accomplished, like art rock without some of the virtuosic pretension.

Performer Magazine
A rather remarkable first effort, Paths is an intelligent album...

URB
They say no two snowflakes are alike, unfortunately the same cannot be said for rock bands. The Eye The Ear and The Arm manage to distance themselves far enough from your typical rock band to indeed qualify as a snowflake. The trio, who recently relocated to Los Angeles, always seem to be in perfect balance with each other. The bass isn't fighting the guitar to be heard, the drums aren't drowning anyone out, and the guitar is usually seen in small, rhythmic accents more-so than prima-donna solos and show-stealing concertos. Though seeming like a simple enough idea, the results are truly great. When three people are able to unify so perfectly in order to strive for a single vision and product, there's not much that they can't accomplish.

UCSD Guardian
...a certain raw, biting ferocity of idealistic musicians.

Pitchfork Media
This Bay Area band manage to appropriate Pavement's smirking shamble to their own lovesick, non-smartass ends.

The Tripwire
Great songwriting and melodies make for some incredibly catchy songs. I urge you to go check out this EP and if you don't do it now, I promise that you'll see and hear of this band again. They have a very bright future.

SF Bay Guardian
Berkeley's the Morning Benders do a fine job of reminding me of the unassailable power of Spector's three-minute moments of transcendent pop bliss. Combining a wall of sound; along with doses of another complicated genius, Brian Wilson [...]

Mesh Magazine
These upstarts are young but not brash, paying reverence to the sounds of early rock ‘n’ roll with ever-current lyrical themes of love lost and loneliness in their debut EP Loose Change.

ny2lon.com
The Morning Benders were the first kids on and blew my mind, the lead singer couldn’t have been anymore than 21 and adorable flannel clad bassist didn’t appear to be more than 17 but the songs were most definitely there and their bright eyed fans already knew every word.

idolator.com
Their laid-back melodies are nigh-impossible to resist[…] Their combination of manners and hummability together goes a long way in our book.

Performer Magazine
They will bring wittiness to the indie world both musically and lyrically. Loose Change promises many more bright days for The Morning Benders.

The Owl Mag
With an enviable knack for melody and a dreamy sound all their own, Berkeley natives, The Morning Benders offer us a new release of their first EP: six tracks of blissed-out cool.