The indie-pop act create jaunty, melodic tunes ideal for summer days and rainy afternoons. Shuffling acoustic guitar, harmonic vocal breakdowns, and a Pet Sounds-esque backbeat, while the songs rhythmically groove and melodically soothe -- at the same time! The Morning Benders paid their dues opening for renowned acts such as Yo La Tengo, Yeasayer, and MGMT. Glowing mentions in the Bay Area press and on the internet alike only added to the Benders' increasing popularity.

There was a time in Los Angeles, not all that many years ago, when a whole group of tremendous power-pop bands were revisiting the ideas and style of The Cars. Ric Ocasek was producing Weezer albums and the city was ripe with all kinds of bands hung up on trying to grow into a person who could support a relationship or find and intelligent and melodic way to hash out the many small ways that led to its demise. There was Phantom Planet (Darren Robinson of that band played lead guitar with the Miniature Tigers here and throughout their spring tour), Kara's Flowers, Nerf Herder, Ozma, Filmore, Bank of Brian and more, just to name a few, and they chugged around with those power chords and an idolization of a Weezer that had just released an album like _Pinkerton_ and was not writing the songs that it has since. The Miniature Tigers are more of a hybrid of the best of that movement, an occasional vaudevillian tone, the soft harmonies of the late Impossibles/Slow Reader and the touching, but brutally honest emotional baggage and concerns of Ben Gibbard doing either Death Cab or All-Time Quarterback. -Daytrotter

Contemplative slow-burning candy garage and seductive vocals provide a reflective airy 80s filmic feel. Brooklyn, NY