2010 in Music - Minus the bear – Omni - A
Minus the Bear has always played to the beat of their own drum. In an age of countless clones looking to emulate whatever is making the big bucks, MTB push forth in their own particular direction to bring you a new collection of tracks that are equal parts groovy. Maybe it was the video, but seriously “My Time” sounds like a great track to dance to. Unlike their prior release that had them swinging for the space time continuum fences, here they’ve firmly established that they want you to bob your head in agreement with their awesomeness. Great musicianship throughout and I honestly don’t care what most publications wrote about the album, I think it’s a hell of a solid album. After the leadoff single, they flow into “Summer Angel”, another quirky and very MTB like song. But part of the highlight in this album is the sheer attention to make every single track work on its own while flowing seamlessly from one track into another. Truth be told, if you listen to individual tracks, you’ll be satisfied, but when you hear it from start to finish you realize how good the album is and in a time where making full blown albums and thinking of track listing is quickly becoming an extinct practice, at least for my part I appreciate the effort. Third up on the ten track special is “Secret Country” a song that continues the motif of quasi danceable numbers with great music and catchy hooks. The following couple of tracks are just as solid but a real gem is the one two punch of “Into the Mirror” and “Animal Backwards” which flow into each other with such perfect precision that you can’t help but want to listen to them live to see the segue. Actually you can even imagine it on the dance floor. Yet again it feels as if some of these songs are meant to be danced more than just listened to, and that’s just fine with me. After another great track, the album ends on a great note with the relaxed and spacey “Fooled by the Night”, which takes two and half minutes to truly start and delights you with 5 more minutes of joy, just so you’re left with the itch to hit play again.
Highlight Tracks: My Time, Summer Angel, Secret Country, Into the Mirror, Animal Backwards, Fooled by the Night
