When I received this CD I laughed at the similarity between their name and the name of the great
UK band Jets VS Sharks. seems like an odd name to me, and I didn’t expect to see another smilar name. Anyway, on with the record..
Bear Vs Shark hail from Michigan, quite close to where The Get Up Kids are from and were no doubt influenced by that scene. They play what I can only describe as an emotional post-hardcore / indie-rock hybrid. In short, imagine the post-hardcore stylings of Quicksand meeting At The Drive-In with a large dose of Jets to Brazil. This is seriously one of the most original and hard to catergorise albums that I’ve heard in some time.
I really like the vocals, unique yet at the same time they feel familiar, the guitars are intricate with some beautiful lines and the drumming reminds me of Spy Versus Spy in places,
which can only be a good thing.
“Ma Jolie” has a real nidwestern feel to it, even sounding a little bit like Modest Mouse at
times, before breaking into At The Drive-In style rock. This is surely what Billy Talent wish they sounded like. “Buses/No Buses” has such an anthemic chorus that I’m surprised MTV2 haven’t
lapped it up with the rest if the post-hardcore bands they seem to be playing at the moment. If this album was to have a single released from it, this would have to be the one. There is a nice acoustic break in “MPS” which sounds a bit like the kind of ballad that Bob Mould/Husker Du would have written. This flows into the next track, “Second” which has some great layered synth
effect which adds to the guitar sounds creating a beautiful track.
I also have to mention the artwork of the record, which comprises of some interesting drawings done by the bands vocalist, Marc Paffi.
I’m pretty sure that Bear Vs Shark are one of those bands that everyone will be raving about by the time they’ve recorded their next record. They would deserve it too because unlike many diluted bands of this genre they have an element of rawness that a lot of bands sadly seem to have lost.
Phil