“Waiting For A War” is the band’s first single and rightfully so as it spotlights them at their best; it’s playful piano rollicks as drums crash and the bass quietly plucks it’s way along while the guitar scratches chords to make you bop. On the other hand “Waiting For A War” can be taken as a dig on the current state of politics or more love gone wrong and love misunderstood. Chu sings of being tired of living his life like nothings happening and everybody talking and not doing a thing, tired of living like he’s dying and pointing out that talk is cheap but lies are cheaper. Politics or love? Chu leaves the interpretation to you and that’s the way it should be.

The entire time the band, Joe Ferrell, (guitars, pianos, organs) Julian Harmon, (drums, percussion) and David Perales, (bass) stay tight, displaying their skill by the timing they possess.  They know when to back off and let the lyrics shine just as well as they know when to push forward and highlight a verse. They come together well showing that their time in the California clubs was well spent. Even as Chu slows up on songs like “Heavy Hearts” and “When We’re Apart,” they come in perfectly following his vocals. These kats can do it all from the funk grooves on “Boarded Doors” to the rockabilly/dark country/ rocking blues beat of “Wasted Time” and the heavy thrash and slash on “Chasing A Ghost,” those latter two tunes are the meanest tracks on the album ringing loud with influences from Johnny Cash to the Cure.

The Morning Benders pulled it all together and gave us Talking Through Tin Cans, a CD that plays well from track one to eleven. Simple themes made interesting by creative music and lyrics is what Fantasma digs the most and these guys deliver. After a good listen you’ll realize how the title binds the album and assists in presenting a complete package and one hell of a debut release.