Minus the Bear Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
As evidenced on Planet of Ice, Minus the Bear's corner of the indie rock universe is much like that of Death Cab for Cutie's: smoothly melodic and tinged with all kinds of forward-thinking ephemera. "Knights" is dotted with electronic traces but driven primarily by spiky prog guitar leads and a driving pop hook. Nevertheless, there's also a grandiose side to Minus the Bear that strives for the arena and some kind of Incubus-like world of proggy, expansive guitar enchantment; it's indicated by the wheeling psychedelic accents on "Throwin' Shapes" and the slicing riffs of "Buryin' Luck." "Ice Monster" and "When We Escape" find the band hunkered down into spacy love grooves, while the icy plinks of "Lotus" locate even dreamier musical spaces. This is an album full of interesting harmonics, polished melodies, and singular arrangements, and overall a strong, hypnotic effort from the Seattle band. ~ Erik Hage, All Music Guide
'Interpretaciones del Oso'
Release Date 2/20/2007
Tracks 11
Label Suicide Squeeze
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What The Critics Say
Minus the Bear might not be a band one thinks of when it comes to remixes, but on Interpretaciones del Oso a slew of acts have their way with the act's songs, sometimes to striking effect. That said, there's often little sense that the mixers have moved much beyond a previous decade's idea of what such reworkings can be like, though this can be both positive and negative. Alias' take on "Pachuca," for instance, brings out the Bryan Ferry-goes-emo-on-the-Riviera qualities of the lyric a bit more, thanks to the shuffling beat; if a bit like what a never-never sound of 1996 was like it's still a treat. The real winners on the disc are the ones that alternately play up the band's strengths or find a new strong fusion in their own right. The P.O.S. "re-do" of "Drilling" which opens the disc captures the first quality well. It initially seems off-putting, but when the mix suddenly turns anthemic towards the end of the song it finds an almost unexpected grace, set against the calm yearning of the vocals. Perhaps unsurprisingly IQU have one of the best numbers with "This Ain't," which while definitely a shoegaze-dance mix to a large extent and so not revelatory per se, still possesses a great sense for dramatic silence in its stop-start pauses. One of the most striking efforts comes courtesy of the take on "The Game Needed Me" by the Oktopus, with the song transformed into a miniature dub monster, thanks to a huge bass growl and guitar echo mania -- a tactile listen that has just enough of Metal Box about it at points, drop-kicked into a new time. Though the disc as a whole has no one set quality to it, Interpretaciones is still worth at least one listen. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
'Menos el Oso'
Release Date 8/23/2005
Tracks 11
Label Suicide Squeeze
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What The Critics Say
Minus the Bear continue their brand of quirky-cum-arty rock 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-rock 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 rock 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." ~ Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide
'Highly Refined Pirates'
Release Date 11/19/2002
Tracks 14
Label Suicide Squeeze
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What The Critics Say
They may call this math rock but -- contrary to the attempt at pigeonholing -- it rarely gets boring. Which is usually a good sign that the usual musical designations don't really apply to Minus the Bear. The only question that comes up during a casual or earnest listen to their latest release, Highly Refined Pirates, is this: where would you place these guys if you had to? Then comes the rejoinder: who cares? Filled with complex guitar fingerwork, aural synth embellishment, and spiraling arrangements that recall everything from King Crimson to More Songs About Building and Food-era Talking Heads to later work from bands like Fugazi (especially The Argument) and Juno, Highly Refined Pirates is a trip through what's great about newer indie rock that doesn't sound like it's trying to be punk without the danger. Many songs on Highly Refined Pirates float ethereally above their conventionally driving drum and guitar lines, and pack a serious lyrical punch to boot. Such as "Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo" -- comedy! -- which boasts one of the coolest choruses ever committed to memory ("You said, 'My life's like a bad movie'/I said, 'That's true of all of us'/You said 'I've got to wake up so f**king early'/I said 'Maybe the director's turned on us'). Or "Let's Play Guitar in a Five-Guitar Band," a dense collection of echo-heavy vocals, light arpeggiation, distant distortion, and enough hammer-ons to make Eddie Van Halen proud. But the greatest thing about this Minus the Bear album is that it doesn't let its sonic complexity go to its head. Each of Highly Refined Pirates' songs is filled with tongue-in-cheek lyrical wordplay (like that cited above) or entitled with toss-off lines from Paul Verhoeven's outer space soap opera, Starship Troopers (samples: "You Kill Bugs Good, Man" or "Damn Bugs Whacked Him, Johnny"). Al in all, Highly Refined Pirates will probably satisfy the music notation nerds, the indie cynics, and the random listener searching for something indefinite in a saturated pop landscape looking to hawk the usual boring band du jour. ~ Scott Thill, All Music Guide
'This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic'
Release Date 11/20/2001
Tracks 7
Label Suicide Squeeze
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What The Critics Say
Featuring members of Kill Sadie, Botch, and Sharks Keep Moving, this northwestern-based quintet focus on making shockingly catchy as well as forward thinking rock, with just enough surprises to keep things original and not to many to make them seem like a novelty. Strong vocals that are occasionally reminiscent of a more laid-back J. Robbins lead the way, but it is the band that makes things work so well. Rocking from start to finish on the seven-track disc, the group weaves in wandering Owls-style guitar lines, and there are plenty of computerized noises that add a full feel to the effort. Lyrics about hard drinking and girls who can drink aren't exactly the most original idea, but they are actually pretty funny, as are many of the song titles, giving even more character to this already catchy record. This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic sounds nothing like a debut, and the seasoned members work so well together that it seems like something they've been doing for years. Minus the Bear fall into the quickly developing world of post-emo, and more than the fact that people should be happy that the genre is falling away, they should be even happier that this is what it has spawned. Intelligent and well-played rock with a few surprises and addendums has its place, and this is pretty much how it should sound. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, All Music Guide
