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Subject: [noREQ]-[#altbin@EFNet]-[FULL] Bear_Hands-Golden-(EP)-2008-RTB [3/17] - "00-bear_hands-golden-(ep)-2008.nfo" yEnc (1/1)
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00-bear_hands-golden-(ep)-2008.nfo
ARTIST: Bear Hands
TITLE: Golden
LABEL: Freedom In Exile
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 257kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 14m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-10-27
RIP DATE: 2015-08-04
Track List
----------
1. Long Lean Queen 3:20
2. Golden 4:08
3. Sickly Brunette 3:44
4. Bad Blood 2:55
Release Notes:
http://bearhandsband.com/
The concept of "emergence", most often found in such subjects as nature theory
and philosophical dialogues, bases itself on a remarkably straightforward
thesis: "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Musical aficionados
frequently throw around this same conjecture in regards to celebrated bands,
affirmatively staking the claim that great music is often the result of nothing
more than basic melodies and unostentatious songwriting coming together in a
peculiarly beautiful way. Surely one need not look hard to find such artists
that boast fantastic end products from the simplest of inputs (Neutral Milk
Hotel, Tom Waits, and The Rural Alberta Advantage, just to name a particularly
opinionated few). But what about groups whose efforts fail to exceed the
summation of their components? Should they be written off altogether? Bands such
as Brooklyn-based Bear Hands, who manage to achieve an irrefutable enjoyability
via funky tunes and stirring rhythms, answer that question with a big fat NO.
Golden, the group's 2007 debut EP, boasts some pretty familiar elements.
Vocalist Dylan Rou sounds as amused as he does annoyed throughout the four-track
EP, never allowing the latent angst in his voice to get the best of its general
sense of fun. Ted Feldman and Val Loper jam along on guitar and bass guitar with
funky, choppy undertones that call to mind the classically recognizable Brooklyn
indie sound as well as an undeniably fun nature. Rounding out the simplistic
fusion is drummer TJ Orscher, whose primarily bass/snare/hi-hat based percussion
act is nothing short of both unifying and yep, you guessed it, fun. Put all
together, the end product is exactly that - fun, nothing more, nothing less.
Golden is delightfully brief yet fantastically triumphant, inducing the
irresistible need to foot-tap along to the group's perfect mix of spunk and
funk.
Although these marginally amusing New Yorkers generally stick to their basic
indie-rock formula, tinges of outside influences do make their way onto Golden.
The EP's title track showcases a more psychedelic sound, reminiscent of fellow
Brooklyn-natives and former tour-buddies MGMT. Distant, sputtered vocals
accompany lumbering musicianship throughout the song, threatening to build up
and boil over before returning to a fading, lethargic conclusion. Allow yourself
feel foolish in humming along to the Pavement-esque "Long and Lean", whose
obnoxiously repetitive chorus barks, "Long and lean, God save the Queen! Peace
in the world is peace in my brain!" Sure the songwriting is spasmodic and
borderline stupid, but Golden maintains its recreational manner from start to
finish.
This debut EP from NYC's Bear Hands is an effort that should be taken for what
it is, that is, a compressed collection of lighthearted and jovial tunes. Its
melodic reach never really surpasses the sum of its parts, but then again, its
simplistic nature is exactly what makes it so catchy and entertaining in the
first place. I'm sure the funky foursome are aware of the fact that they don't
break any musical boundaries with their work, and I'd like to think that they're
perfectly at ease with that. They certainly enjoy themselves, however, and
that's engaging enough in its own right, making Golden a debut that's worth
checking out from a band that is surely worth watching out for.
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