Bearsuit CD

Fortunately for Bearsuit, they have overcome the genre’s major flaw of creating pretty but ultimately forgettable songs and have put together a twelve-track album filled with a selection of effortlessly hummable songs. Their rich melodies, varied arrangements and wide selection of instruments always gives you something new to listen to, whether it is one of the faster spurts of engeretic pop or the downbeat electronica. Sometimes it sounds rather ramshackle, but you somewhat think that is the aim of the bands sound.

Cat Spectacular opens with a rather strange introduction, and keeps to the meaning of the word, with two Japanese voices introducing the band by name, before breaking into a chilled drum and flute based choral arrangement. But that fortunately doesn’t last long, as “Cookie O Jesus” opens with its custom Ramshackle array of brass and guitars going up against one another, backed by the pleasant boy girl harmonies and shouts which continue throughout the album. It has a student sound but sweetly innocent with lines like “Cookie, your degree is far from over in anthropology and archaeology.” The sweet opening proper explodes with such energy that you cannot not enjoy it. “Rodent Disco,” continues with a similar flavor, now incorporating a disco feel, with a simple shout a long chorus. Descending into a barrage of cracks and pops as it slides into a school day sounding song “Cherryade,” which talks of fossils and coming of age. The album mostly avoids filler by jumping from one speed to another with a seemingly indestructible energy.

“Itusko Got Married,” is a prime example of the energy Bearsuit have, with their clap-a-long chorus and their impossible to remember binary code bridge. While Guitarist Iain Ross is better at the faster more energetic songs, where he is supported by Accordion and Keyboards Lisa Horton, it is when she is given the chance to slow down the proceedings that Bearsuit really shine. “On Your Special Day,” is Belle and Sebastian with a poppier tune and paranoid lyrics, “should have known the neighbors would try to find you,” as well as being about love between friends “we’re all up in the attic trying to hide our sister and brotherly love.” All this contained in a 3 and a half-minute song, which also deals with a somewhat apocalypse ending of the world and the melancholy feelings of machines.

The album does have it weak moments, “tstm” which sounds unlike any of the other songs and feels completely out of place in context. As pretty as it is “diagonal girl” with its xylophone backing and harmony, is equally forgettable, as it is pleasant.
Overall however Bearsuit have created a likable and amicable debut album, picking up from their annoying short Jesus Will Spear You Through the heart EP and taking it to the next level. It is original without being that different, and is far better and filled with more pure energy and high spirit then anything you will see in the charts, making it hard not to recommend this album to anyone wanting a 30 minute burst of indie pop. It is also hopeful that BBC stalwart John Peel supported them after only one single, and they have returned to the show, as well as regularly scoring high in his annual festive fifty. Fortunately for Bearsuit this album looks to be just the first chapter in what will hopefully be a list of long players, and the potential to create records as good if not better then this, is obvious from the start.