Benzos

What happens when you take everything you know about music theory and throw it out the window? For Benzos, Stinky Records' New York-based, genre-bending quartet, it is not mere experimentation - it is their raison d'etre. Hence, it is no surprise that their sophomore album Branches, set to hit stores on August 7, 2007, seamlessly blends the ambience and rhythm of early underground dance and experimental electronic music with lush, rock-based guitars and soaring vocals.

On Branches, Benzos' Christian Celaya (guitar/synth/vocals), Brian Joyce (guitar/vocals), Eiko Peck (bass) and Steve Bryant (drums/sampling) capture the melodic allure of Doves, the sprawling dynamics of Explosions In The Sky and the minimalistic yet intense complexity of Aphex Twin, to develop a unique blend of ambient, emotionally resonant guitar and synth instrumentation, "mashed up" with tight, bottom-heavy, intensely-funky rhythm section grooves.

Recorded in the Summer of 2006 with Anthony Ranere (Lake Trout) and Steve Wright, Branches marks a return to Christian and Brian's early influences of DJ and house music and culture (and all the trouble you can imagine they got into being involved in that scene), as well as a deepening emphasis on the hip hop and drum and bass sound that Eiko and Steve 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.

Having undergone early changes in personnel and instrumentation, Benzos have overcome these obstacles by honing their creative vision to incorporate a heavily improvisational element, which they refer to as "live remixing" and which has become a hallmark of the band's live shows. 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.