Apparently, Bear + Music=Awesome. There is a startlingly large number of bands that use the word “Bear” in their name and these “Bear Bands” don’t just have strength in numbers, they have strength in quality. This article takes a look at a pretty encompassing list of “Bear Bands”, provides a nice opinionated rant and a link to hear the music.

Panda Bear is the kind of band that at first listen sounds like something you’re supposed to like because other people do, even though you don’t. However on further listen you realize that Panda Bear’s sonic atmosphere is one in which all lifeforms can thrive. Although some songs (I.E.:Good Girls/Carrots) take a while to become good, all of them have pleasantly infectious elements, either obvious or subliminal, that eventually take you by the arm and guides you through ambient post-pop songs. Because Panda Bear is the solo effort of Panda Bear himself, a member of Animal Collective, there is a prominent similarity between the man and the band, but what’s wrong with something that sounds a lot like Animal Collective? While the S/T and Person Pitch albums have a similar quality, Young Prayer is a more acoustic and personal approach to Panda Bear. If I had to pick one, I would start with Person Pitch as it is the most approachable of the 3 mentioned.
listen to panda bear here. Grizzly Bear grizzly bear is easily one of my favorite bands ever. Most of the music magazines and such praise their third album Veckatimest as their best. However I think their sophomore release Yellow House is by far their best album. It is an experience listening to this and it never gets old. listen to them here Polar Bear Club I really don’t know much about Polar Bear Club other than from what I’ve heard they are pretty solid punk in the vain of Alkaline Trio or Avail, maybe even Rise Against. One thing is for sure, I would’ve fucking loved this band in 8th grade. They have a really crisp yet heavy guitar tone and really listen-able yet yelled (not screamed, yelled) vocals. As much as I have discerned they don’t change their sound much from album to album, but they seem to have nailed the formula and in that way, they are doing just what they should. Give ‘em a listen and maybe you can write a better blurb. They really aren’t a band I’d listen to normally, but I can say with confidence, and nostalgic whimsy, they are totally sweet.
Listen to Polar Bear Club here Bear In Heaven I got Bear In Heaven’s Latest album Beast Rest Fourth Mouth a while ago. I listened to it once, wasn’t impressed, and it sat in my computer collecting virtual dust for a decent while. Eventually I started seeing this album pop up on “Best Of” lists and receiving rave reviews in indie rags everywhere. I was perplexed, I didn’t get it. I dismissed the reviews as someone would a five star reaction to Vampire Weekend. To me this hype was a conspiracy. However, tracks like Dust Cloud and Ultimate Satisfaction started creeping into my long drive Ipod shuffle’s and I began to take notice. Upon further and more focused listening, the critics praises of Bear In Heaven have been validated. This album makes me feel something, I’m not sure what it is but I know it is unusual. The music is ephemeral and refreshingly unclassifiable. It strikes me as Modest Mouse on ketamine instead of crack. The sweeping vocals and atonal melodies interweave to create a uniquely passive experience. The music seems to sit in your brain without you even knowing its there. That’s something.
listen to Bear In Heaven here Bear Hands There’s really not much to say about Bear Hands. Mainly because they only have an EP and a single whose combined songs total 6 and a remix of one. Despite the lack of product, I can confidently say this band is the tits. Although they are an EXTREMELY recycled version of a bunch of other previously successful bands (Modest Mouse, The Walkmen, Portugal the Man, The Libertines and anyone on early decade Saddle Creek), Bear Hands does it fantastically. They have hooks that rival Jay-Z with a vocalist who is just raw enough to give them the street cred they need to compete with their compatriots. Sonically, they lean heavily on a bottom heavy and huge sounding bass that carries the melodies and rhythm of their brand of indie pop. I also found their drummer extremely creative and provided that extra push that separates the common from the worth while. Now, on a superficial level… I really hate the fact that one of the dudes has the same tattoo as me. And I will be brutally honest and sadly shallow, had I just seen their press kit photo, I would have written off Bear Hands as another trend-raping group of pseudo hipsters who read Vice too much. However, their music proves that their relationship to trendiness is more consensual than rape. Listen to What A Drag, it’s one of the catchiest songs of the decade.
listen to Bear Hands here Bear Vs. Shark Bear Vs. Shark is the kind of band that you listen to non-stop for weeks, then don’t listen to them for years. However those weeks that are spent focused on Bear Vs. Shark are good weeks indeed, filled with some of the best post-hardcore Highland, Michigan has to offer. Bear Vs. Shark took an already exhausted art-form and breathed new life into it, in the form of techy yet raw guitar riffs, epic buildups with cryptic vocal refrains and bass lines that are reminiscent of the best 90′s hardcore. They have the ability to go from teeth-grinding thrash-core to deliciously catchy moments featuring stripped down clean guitar and quietly strained vocals. Bear Vs. Shark is the type of band that can take almost impossibly noisy parts and allow glimmers of pop to shine through. They are the type of band that while you may not listen to them for a while after your last B V S binge, you’ll definitely remember where you were and what you were doing the last time you heard them.
listen to Bear Vs. Shark here Cowboy Indian Bear Cowboy Indian Bear is an easy band to like. Featuring that timid and slightly soprano lead singer familiar in bands like Hot Chip and The Sea And Cake. In Fact, its a pretty easy comparison to make. In my humble opinion, Cowboy Indian Shark sounds like a mix of Hot Chip’s dancey beats, The Sea And Cake’s analog tendencies and Pinback’s ability to take driving repetition and make it pleasant. Essentially Cowboy Indian Bear is approachable in the best way. Their music sits comfortably on top of crisp and simple drum beats and swims through the familiar ambiance of the heavy pads we’ve become accustomed to in this world of Post-Indie pseudo electro acoustic rock. Cowboy Indian Bear can be summed up as Hotseachippincake (actually they are definitely not that recycled… I just wanted to see what kind of phrase I could make by combining their most recognizable influences).
listen to Cowboy Indian Bear here Minus The Bear If there was a video game about jet-setting middle class cool kids, Minus The Bear would be the soundtrack. When I first heard Minus The Bear the best word to describe my reaction was: dumfounded. In my eyes (and ears), they had taken all my favorite things about music and compressed them into perfect songs with hilarious and arbitrary titles. Highlighting the noodled yet melodically enchanting tap guitar of Dave Knudsen from Botch, MTB crafts songs that stripped down to their essence are perfect pop gems with catchy hooks and refrains. But the technical proficiency of MTB’s musicianship creates something much more than simply pop. To truly understand the taught formation that is MTB, one must see them live. They execute their incredibly layered and polished masterpieces just perfectly enough to ensure its actually being played live. The production of their albums is yet another notch on their belt of success, creating sonic atmospheres that scream beauty. The drums are so tight you’d think it was an 808 and the vocals swoon creamy over exorbitantly catchy synth, guitar and bass; telling tales of love, lust and intoxication. Speaking of 808′s, MTB actually do lend themselves quite well to the electro world, proven by the re-mix of their Menos El Oso album called Interpretaciones Del Oso. Featuring incredibly precocious and clever renditions done by the likes of P.O.S., Four Tet and Gel. All of MTB’s albums are worth your time but if you start at the begining (Bands Like It When You Yell “Yar” At Them), you can definitely feel the progression, and it is a Darwinian evolution indeed.

listen to Minus The Bear here Podington Bear Podington Bear is really catchy and simple electronica. He’s famous for committing to creating an enormous collection of songs over two years. He recently completed his mission and released 10 albums with a total of 135 songs in a box set. He was one of those clever, anonymous musicians for a while, known only by an adorable pseudonym and a trademark cartoon bear. In that regard He was like the musical version of Banksy. However, upon the completion of his collection with the album The End (the only one of the set to be released individually) he revealed his identity to a supposedly eagerly awaiting community of beat heads. Honestly, I don’t really have an opinion on P Bear because his music is so simply catchy and listenable that all one can really say about it is “it’s good”.
Listen to Podington Bear here. Polar Bear Imagine Tortoise as an Avante Garde Jazz Quartet with a ridiculous brass section. These guys fucking rule. I am really partial to brits that play free-jazz and Polar Bear is definitely tops in that world. I got super sick of my whole jazz collection, these guys truly refreshed me and brought me back into the swinging world of hepcats that drink tea. Love ‘em.
Listen to Polar Bear here.

Now obviously this list is limited to my musical knowledge. It is not, by any means, all inclusive. I’m on a bear hunt now and want to create as complete a list as possible. Help me do that. If you know of any Bear Bands that either good or Bad, let me know. I have yet to find a truly Bad Bear Band, so in the world of bear hunting, a BBB would be the trophy. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears clean? Until Next time.
]]> http://piecesofpieces.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/bear-in-mind/feed/ 0 piecesofpieces pandabear polarbearclub bear-in-heaven bearhands1 bearvsshark_rightnow Cowboy-Indian-Bear mtbpoione-sm podington_bear polar-bear-mint-lounge http://piecesofpieces.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/hello-world/ http://piecesofpieces.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/hello-world/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:40:40 +0000 piecesofpieces ]]> Hello. I really dont know what to say in this introductory type situation so I’ll be forward and brief. I like Music, Movies, Books, and a very small amount of Television Programming. I listen to a lot of NPR and have relatively strong views regarding politics and consumerism, among other things. I feel that I have good taste, if I thought differently this would be a blog about something different. In Pieces of Pieces I will talk about literally anything that pops into my head, usually somewhere within the vicinity of the afformentioned subjects. Besides being an obsessive music collector and fan, I am also a musician myself: you can hear me here. Professionally, I am the Social Media Marketing Coordinator for Primeau Productions, Inc. , as well as the Internet Marketing Strategist for TravelHost Detroit. ciao.

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