When I see the name "Bender," I automatically think of gray, beer-drinking, and chain-smoking robots who regularly and seemingly meticulously remind me that I can "lick their metal ass." Anyone who has seen the successful series "Futurama" will know what I'm alluding to. Whether the extremely likeable robot was also an incentive to choose the band name "Bender," I cannot say. But I have quite a bit to say about the music, and it's all extremely positive:
The first song of the 7-part silver disc can already be very convincing. With "Lonely Road," the musicians really go for it and impress me with a sound that I can hardly categorize. The sound has nothing aggressive about it and rarely rolls in with distortions; instead, it shines with melody and clean sounds, which almost always make me think of "Rock’n’Roll." I also believe I can perceive a tiny hint of "Blues." The drums and bass have been adapted to the style and are functional to quite good. I also notice that my sadistic side has completely shut off here, as I did not mean the term "functional" negatively. The instruments are not – unlike the guitar and vocals (which I will come to) – in the foreground, but still represent important pillars without which the songs simply would not be what they are: Rocking!!
The style is actually most clearly present throughout the entire album; however, there are also a few skillfully mastered experiments: "Prison" sounds like first-class hard rock and will surely excite some who appreciate the rougher style. "My Ghost" also follows this path, although it is less noticeable than in the previous title. "Easy Riding" goes in the opposite direction and primarily uses the acoustic guitar while largely forgoing bass and drums. However, the exaggeratedly used "Yeeeeeheeeeeahyeeeeeheeeah" hits me in the stomach, making me almost declare it the most annoying title of the album. It's a shame; here the singers (yes, "Yeahing" more than just one person!!) ruin a title that seemed to have a pretty nice idea.
Speaking of vocals: The vocal contributions are an important aspect of the music of "Bender." Even though I have had quite a bit of trouble identifying the voice so far, I come to the conclusion that it is a male singer using a relatively high voice. I truly struggled to decide between a man with a high voice or a woman who was pumped full of testosterone and sang dirty into the microphone. In the end, it doesn't matter who or what sings it; it sounds really good!
All the songs feel very credible, are a lot of fun, and demonstrate a beautiful musical understanding of the band. It sounds very harmonious, and the melodies are very catchy. Still, everything feels a bit "rough," so I can't imagine a radio station playing their songs. And for anyone who thinks that this should be criticism: Not at all! It is precisely this "rough" and "unpolished" (although I wonder how that is possible, given the performance) that makes the music so beautifully alive.
It is truly a shame that I only have seven titles to discuss. "Bender" has already made me very curious, and I hope that their music project will not be buried in the near future. There is fire in these people that wants to be fed. Gasoline would not be a bad idea, for example.
Although distortion fetishists and scream-orgy lovers probably won't have fun with this, every musician or rock’n’roller will be rewarded with a piece of art that should be heard.
For me personally, Bender is a wonderfully positive surprise and will likely spend more time on my turntable. The 8 points are therefore well deserved!
