New on Spectrum Culture, I consider the "debut" album by POP ETC (formerly known as Morning Benders). It's really a pretty awful record:
San Francisco indie outfit The Morning Benders recorded two very excellent records, the low-fi, folky Talking Through Tin Cans and the bigger, more psychedelic Big Echo. The band found out that their name has derogatory homophobic connotations in parts of the U.K. and didn’t want the meaning of “Morning Benders” to be misconstrued. The group, now consisting of bandleader Chris Chu, his brother Jon Chu and Julian Harmon, has transformed itself into POP ETC. It would be wonderful to report that the change is basically in name only, that the band has continued their streak of creative, authentic indie-pop. Instead, the outfit’s self-titled “debut” has fundamentally nothing in common with those earlier releases. POP ETC is an unabashed attempt to pander to all that is superficial and trite in contemporary, radio-friendly pop music. It’s a rather dismal, exasperating record to listen to. Click here to read more.
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