Minus the Bear continue their brand of quirky-cum-arty ock with light, airy harmonies and somewhat experimental guitars on "The Game Needed Me" as lead singer Jake Snider doles out lines in the vein of Cake's lead singer. Partially spoken, partially sung, the overall effort is decent but wouldn't whet everyone's sonic palette. "Memphis & 53rd" on the other hand begins with an almost drum'n'bass flavor prior to going into a quasi ska-ock format recalling a timid English Beat. Musically it's a collage of different genres, with the chorus melding them all adequately. Minus the Bear finally hits paydirt on the mid-tempo but inviting "Drilling," fuelled by the drumming of Erin Tate and the guitar work of Snider and David Knudson. At times it's not quite guitar "noodling," but the melodies revolve around intricate and winding riffs as they do on "The Fix," which builds in momentum. When the band opts for a pedestrian, atmospheric pace as they do on "El Torrente," it seems to fall flat, more of a breather or experimental filler than anything truly worth repeated listens. Catchier is "Pachuca Sunrise" with a great hop in its step that brings to mind something that Death Cab for Cutie might attempt at some point. Perhaps the highlight of the record is the barren and radio-friendly urgent ock displayed during "Michio's Death Drive" with its keyboard touches. It comes off as a fusing of the Police and the Strokes to some extent. "Hooray" keeps this frantic, frenetic pace going with some down time splintered throughout. What misses the mark totally, however, is the average but unspectacular "Pig War."
I can't explain how much I love Minus the Bear.it's.... his voice. the lyrics. the way the music is played - you can tell if it's Minus the Bear as soon as you hear the opening of any of their songs. and it's a good thing. it's not that their songs sound alike... they just have this amazing uniting sound that is so uniquely them.I had been listening to Minus the Bear for a while - not a lot of ...
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Minus the Bear. Probably the best music concert I've ever been to. They were a complete surprise - the experience changed my life."ABSINTHE!""...patience."GD, that night was incredible.
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EGG NOG SEASON IS HERE!!! It's on sale in the store here. As soon as I heard the intercom mention it, I told Dani I had an emergency and dashed into the store to buy a half gallon. Now I can't wait to get off work, walk home in the pouring rain, listening to Minus The Bear, and getting sick off egg nog. Then I'll get home, get all cozy, recover from my overdosage, and watch a few episodes of Lo...
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Minus the Bear. Probably the best music concert I've ever been to. They were a complete surprise - the experience changed my life."ABSINTHE!""...patience."GD, that night was incredible.
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So we all know that time capsules are gay, right?Ha Ha... well anyways I was thinking about what I said in a earlier post about music being permanent. About how I want my grandchildren to find my music collection and find music that I had growing up. Music that helped me out in the best of times and worst. Hopefully they will find it. I will make it rather obvious for them.But I was thinking th...
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I can't explain how much I love Minus the Bear.it's.... his voice. the lyrics. the way the music is played - you can tell if it's Minus the Bear as soon as you hear the opening of any of their songs. and it's a good thing. it's not that their songs sound alike... they just have this amazing uniting sound that is so uniquely them.I had been listening to Minus the Bear for a while - not a lot of ...
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so lately ive been taking note to what i resort to in times of trouble, trial, or more specificly, loneliness.... when i used to drink, that was my escape on a daily basis from my problems... but now that i've given that up, i find myself struggling to find a "gettaway"... maybe God doesnt want us to have a gettaway? what if He wants us to find our gettway in Him?its hard following God, but the...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 The Game Needed Me |
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| 2 Memphis & 53rd |
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| 3 Drilling |
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| 4 The Fix |
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| 5 El Torrente |
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| 6 Pachuca Sunrise |
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| 7 Michio's Death Drive |
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| 8 Hooray |
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| 9 Fulfill the Dream |
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| 10 The Pig War |
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| 11 This Ain't a Surfin' Movie |
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