Highly Refined Pirates,
Minus The Bear[Disclaimer – on listening to this CD it became clear after the first few seconds of ‘Highly Refined Pirates’ that it was most definitely not the sort of music I would usually listen to. Nevertheless, I stuck it out and listened to the entire thing a few times but was still left completely cold by it. Basically, you can skip this review if you’re a fan of electronic American indie because you’ll no doubt like ‘HRP’, but if not I can’t see how this release could change your mind.]
I promise – I tried. Just as one of my favourite bands, the mighty Dillinger Escape Plan succeed in baffling so many who just don’t ‘get’ ‘it’, I fail to see the appeal of Minus The Bear. Like a less hook-laden Pavement with more of an electronic bent, MTB continually make detours along the road marked ‘melody’, swerving away from anything resembling pace or intrigue, instead choosing to fill their music with self-indulgent meanderings that will either make you sweat with excitement (not my reaction) or pray for the moment that the CD stops (my reaction). ‘Thanks For The Killer Game Of Crisco Twister’ is unbearably twee and annoying in the same as Nerf Herder attempting to be clever is, full of the same ‘quirky’ bleeps and squeaks that characterises the entire album, just as ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’…sounds like everything else on this album.
I know this is perhaps the worst review I have ever done but I’m genuinely at a loss. You see that huge flying thing up there in the sky? That’s this album, going straight over my head. I know fans of this band will rightfully be offended at the laziness of these words but the fact is, I just don’t get it.
Ben
www.minusthebear.com
www.undergroove.co.uk
