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Let me break it down for you. New album arrives, from a Band You’ve Never Heard Of. You give it a second’s thought, assessing it on its artwork and a few quotes cut-and-pasted onto the one-sheet. You file away as a Maybe, But Nothing More. Perhaps if time allows you’ll dig it out, recommend it to a few friends. You won’t publish a review proper because… Well, it’s a Band You’ve Never Heard Of. Who’s going to care? Pitchfork, sure – and they have. But this isn’t Pitchfork.
But Bear In Heaven aren’t 99% of the bands falling into the Maybe, But Nothing More category. Thanks to a few choice tips from South By Southwest-attending sorts, Beast Rest Forth Mouth found its way to the top of this writer’s own possible reviews pile – it might not (yet) have the specialist show radio support required to qualify coverage of most Bands You’ve Never Heard Of, but so trusted are the ‘tastemakers’ (ergh) in question that a proper listen was necessary. And another. Then a transfer to the iPod (only 4GB now, so it’s keeping some fine company). And another. And you get the idea.
The Brooklyn-based four-piece’s on-paper purveyance of psychedelic-pop isn’t a particularly revelatory stylistic route for an as-new band to be taking – after all, we’ve had albums from Yeasayer and The Ruby Suns this year, and the new MGMT record is just around the corner. But Bear In Heaven’s locked-tight, Krautrock-kissed grooves, insistent and oddly proggy vocals – vocalist Jon Philpot is evocative of Yes’ Jon Anderson – and tension-tuning architectural qualities are aspects of this ten-track LP that actually, unexpectedly, set it some distance ahead of the aforementioned outfits.
They’ve Yeasayer’s playfulness, MGMT’s way with a deceptively catchy melody, and The Ruby Suns’ penchant for layering on an infectiously happy haziness that keeps the listener coming back. And the combination is exquisitely managed, with the whole never at risk of coming apart where pieces of the puzzle don’t quite fit cleanly. And BRFM is an album proper, too, perfectly sequenced to maintain interest and using motifs both noticeably similar and subtly familiar to carry the listener from one track to the next, and onwards. A metaphorical flock of birds in Lovesick Teenagers, for example, returns in album closer Casual Goodbye.
Let me cut to the chase: expect to hear a lot more about Bear In Heaven over the coming months. --Mike Diver
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Further proof that Brooklyn is both magnet and hotbed, Bear In Heaven's current four-piece call it home despite all originally hailing from the less-celebrated centres of Georgia and Alabama. Building on their debut's warm, psychedelic prog, Beast Rest Forth Mouth (East West North South) is a large-scale progression that neatly welds krautrock and strong pop melodies onto their solid chassis.
Losing a member in between albums was unfortunate but inevitable when it was School Of Seven Bells that came calling. Their alluring psych-gaze partners Bear In Heaven's kraut-pop well in all but track length. Jon Philpot's attainable vocal and Bear In Heaven's collective four-minute takes prove direct without being overly succinct, poppish without being too eager to please.
Featuring heavy delay, Beast Rest Forth Mouth shudders around aural space, generously throwing in identifiable choruses so seemingly absent elsewhere in the scene. The mid-tempo stomp of the opener "Beast In Peace" hardly ignites the album yet sets it smouldering with drawn-out drone over hand-drummed rhythms. The skittish psych-pop of "Wholehearted Mess" then introduces a rising synth pattern carried over into the irrepressible "You Do You".
The mood is duly soured for "Lovesick Teenagers", which runs with mournful synth chords yet undeniable determination. The huge rolling buzz and lollop of highlight "Ultimate Satisfaction" deserves a worthy vocal and Philpot provides it affecting wave after wave of Billy-Corgan-gone-pop emotion.
Best Rest Forth Mouth veers away from its poppier hunting crowds on "Deafening Love". Understandably loud and allowed free reign on quality speakers it reveals itself to be a multi-layered offering heavy on menace and bass. "Drug A Wheel" is altogether darker and trudges through entrancing and paranoid sludge like Indian Jewelry might with an unhealthy keyboard dependency.
Bear In Heaven have a curious album on their hands. Neither summery psych nor crossover pop, neither indulgent nor clear in its aims, Beast Rest Forth Mouth isn't the best of any of the directions it takes, yet resolutely finds itself heading for warmly likeable, if muddled, shores.
Losing a member in between albums was unfortunate but inevitable when it was School Of Seven Bells that came calling. Their alluring psych-gaze partners Bear In Heaven's kraut-pop well in all but track length. Jon Philpot's attainable vocal and Bear In Heaven's collective four-minute takes prove direct without being overly succinct, poppish without being too eager to please.
Featuring heavy delay, Beast Rest Forth Mouth shudders around aural space, generously throwing in identifiable choruses so seemingly absent elsewhere in the scene. The mid-tempo stomp of the opener "Beast In Peace" hardly ignites the album yet sets it smouldering with drawn-out drone over hand-drummed rhythms. The skittish psych-pop of "Wholehearted Mess" then introduces a rising synth pattern carried over into the irrepressible "You Do You".
The mood is duly soured for "Lovesick Teenagers", which runs with mournful synth chords yet undeniable determination. The huge rolling buzz and lollop of highlight "Ultimate Satisfaction" deserves a worthy vocal and Philpot provides it affecting wave after wave of Billy-Corgan-gone-pop emotion.
Best Rest Forth Mouth veers away from its poppier hunting crowds on "Deafening Love". Understandably loud and allowed free reign on quality speakers it reveals itself to be a multi-layered offering heavy on menace and bass. "Drug A Wheel" is altogether darker and trudges through entrancing and paranoid sludge like Indian Jewelry might with an unhealthy keyboard dependency.
Bear In Heaven have a curious album on their hands. Neither summery psych nor crossover pop, neither indulgent nor clear in its aims, Beast Rest Forth Mouth isn't the best of any of the directions it takes, yet resolutely finds itself heading for warmly likeable, if muddled, shores.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What is it with Brooklyn? Does the borough spawn
new talent or does new talent gravitate towards it.
Either-which-way Bear In Heaven seem to be making some
kind of mark but you are likely to require a fairly robust
constitution to appreciate the finer points of their raison d'etre.
'Beast Rest Forth Mouth' makes a big sound.
Densely-layered music with serious intentions.
Four very solemn young men on a mission.
Messrs Philpot (voice, guitar and keys); Bazarra (bass and keys);
Wills (guitar and bass) and Stickney (drums) are clearly on the
same wavelength and work ernestly together to co-construct
their coherently moribund vision. The prevailing miserable mood
is heroically sustained. No-one cracks even the faintest smile.
(Perhaps no-one dares!)
There is little respite in this collection of ten compositions.
The sun refuses to shine. It seems, in fact, to be willfully kept at bay.
Start with 'Dust Cloud' for immediate elucidation
of their dark manifesto. The wobbly dirge
creates an uneasy ambience pinned down still further by
Mr Philpot's vocal approximation of a sort-of one note
samba from hell. The sonic structure opens out a bit
towards the end but the general mood of contrived gloom
is not compromised for a moment.
'Drug A Wheel' almost sounds as though things might be
trying to cheer-up a tad in the quasi-Beach Boys demeanor
of the introduction but any hope of an easy ride is swept
away by the impenetrably miasmic mists of the closing bars.
By the time I had reached the pounding lamentation entitled
'Fake Out' I had very nearly lost the will to live!
Mono-tonal. Monotonous. Miserable (....but not in a good way!)
At Your Own Risk.
new talent or does new talent gravitate towards it.
Either-which-way Bear In Heaven seem to be making some
kind of mark but you are likely to require a fairly robust
constitution to appreciate the finer points of their raison d'etre.
'Beast Rest Forth Mouth' makes a big sound.
Densely-layered music with serious intentions.
Four very solemn young men on a mission.
Messrs Philpot (voice, guitar and keys); Bazarra (bass and keys);
Wills (guitar and bass) and Stickney (drums) are clearly on the
same wavelength and work ernestly together to co-construct
their coherently moribund vision. The prevailing miserable mood
is heroically sustained. No-one cracks even the faintest smile.
(Perhaps no-one dares!)
There is little respite in this collection of ten compositions.
The sun refuses to shine. It seems, in fact, to be willfully kept at bay.
Start with 'Dust Cloud' for immediate elucidation
of their dark manifesto. The wobbly dirge
creates an uneasy ambience pinned down still further by
Mr Philpot's vocal approximation of a sort-of one note
samba from hell. The sonic structure opens out a bit
towards the end but the general mood of contrived gloom
is not compromised for a moment.
'Drug A Wheel' almost sounds as though things might be
trying to cheer-up a tad in the quasi-Beach Boys demeanor
of the introduction but any hope of an easy ride is swept
away by the impenetrably miasmic mists of the closing bars.
By the time I had reached the pounding lamentation entitled
'Fake Out' I had very nearly lost the will to live!
Mono-tonal. Monotonous. Miserable (....but not in a good way!)
At Your Own Risk.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
11 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Beast Rest Forth Mouth
25 Mar 2010
Format:Audio CD
The atmosphere that is created by this album upon listening (especially with a killer pair of head phones) is out of this world. The minimalistic instrumentation which is overly destored and magnified creates a wall of sound unlike most anything I have ever heard before in my life. Bear In Heaven have reinvented psychedelic pop music with Beast Rest Forth Mouth.
Tracks like 'Deafening Love' and 'Wholehearted Mess' are nothing short of stunning. What Bear In Heaven have managed to do on Beast Rest Forth Mouth is take everything bands like Grizzly Bear have done and nearly perfected it. 'Fake Out' is a prime example of such. Easily the most upbeat track on the album, and almost shoe-gaze. It totally has that feel anyway.
I'm waiting to see exactly where Bear In Heaven go on their next release. They're one of those groups that have the potential to keep getting better and better with each release, as well as to grow as more profound artists.
Tracks like 'Deafening Love' and 'Wholehearted Mess' are nothing short of stunning. What Bear In Heaven have managed to do on Beast Rest Forth Mouth is take everything bands like Grizzly Bear have done and nearly perfected it. 'Fake Out' is a prime example of such. Easily the most upbeat track on the album, and almost shoe-gaze. It totally has that feel anyway.
I'm waiting to see exactly where Bear In Heaven go on their next release. They're one of those groups that have the potential to keep getting better and better with each release, as well as to grow as more profound artists.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Buy it!
18 Jan 2010
Format:Audio CD
The influences are noticeable, ample, and thankfully not derivative: the minimalism of early Krautrock; Eno's solo LPs, especially "Another Green World"; the expansiveness and drama of the Flaming Lips' "Soft Bulletin"; Wire's early work. "Dust Cloud" sounds to me like a most clever reworking of The Fall's "I am Curious Oranj," intentional or not. That's when you know you've stumbled on a great album: when it demands analysis and conversation. While pitchforkmedia claimed the record was unique because it is comprised of carefully-constructed pop songs, only delivered in the most unusual ways, I think they've sold BiH short. This is a thoroughly captivating record, and with repeated listening, it does warrant the occasional sing along like any good pop record--and yet as whole this music is deliberately too strange to qualify as pop music. The ambivalence in their sound is what makes it such a terrific, special album. I'm still waiting for everyone to catch up--Bear in Heaven are one of the best bands in America.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
THERE IS NO OTHER TROY LEFT FOR ME TO BURN....
25 Feb 2010
This is the best album I have heard in a long time. It beats Wild beasts, Fleet Foxes (maybe too early to say but definitely has the potential) , Band of Horses, Phoenix's last album, Animal Collective and how about if I say Blitzen Trapper. Hmmmm...so you're thinking what else? I don't know if calling this sound indie is doing it justice but not since a song called "snow of 85" and another called "white rabbit" have I heard such a piledriver of a song. I am talking about track 1, which is a song about an adieu. I love how many bands start an album saying goodbye, I don't think it was wonderful old Lifehouse's idea of doing that with Hanging by the moment, but whatever it is, whether it was staind or offspring's Americana, some how the first track does justice to this delightful heartfelt moving collaboration of a record.
A beautiful voice sings, Doomsday it's so quiet
You hardly know it's there
Dollars of triumph
They're loaded down some well
Thunder is expanding
Like your face into the ground
Thunder is expanding
And the rate will wear you down
The best times were better
When you didn't need to think
The eagle or monster
Is pulling down our feet.
Lovesick Teenagers has potential to be the best song which launches this band into a switch. The best album in a long time. Terribly addictive music. For everyone who ever foot-tapped to a jangling guitar.
A beautiful voice sings, Doomsday it's so quiet
You hardly know it's there
Dollars of triumph
They're loaded down some well
Thunder is expanding
Like your face into the ground
Thunder is expanding
And the rate will wear you down
The best times were better
When you didn't need to think
The eagle or monster
Is pulling down our feet.
Lovesick Teenagers has potential to be the best song which launches this band into a switch. The best album in a long time. Terribly addictive music. For everyone who ever foot-tapped to a jangling guitar.
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