An ambitious, yet underwhelming new album from Minus The Bear

By: Colin Rabyniuk –

It has been ten years since Minus the Bear’s debut record, Highly Refined Pirates was released, and while some things have remained steady – the intricate guitar work and finely tuned effects –  there is a certain punch missing from their latest work, Infinity Overhead, due out August 28. It’s been a slow progression, but it seems Minus the Bear have excised their early irreverence and grit. Although Infinity Overhead is their most diverse album yet, it is markedly uninteresting. The songs lack urgency and are at times are boring.

While the record’s broader strokes may be less than captivating, its strength is in the details. The band is redeemed by their technical ability. The music’s depth and development will strike the attentive listener. Guitars dripping with reverb and delay wind loosely around each other, along with crisp, alternating picking giving way to off-beat rhythms and inventive electronic samples. The song “Toska” is a clear example of this. On it the band shows what can be done with three guitar. It’s clever and unorthodox. The listener just has to work to hear it.

“Empty Party Rooms” is another strong track. Beginning with a gentle drum roll, the guitar and bass slowly pick up to a tantalizing chorus and bridge. How the song grows seems almost effortless. As expected, it pushes towards a driving finish. But the climax is subdued and isn’t as hard as you anticipate, which is a common feeling throughout the album.

If not for the complicated polyrhythms on “Listing,” the sparkling acoustic track could easily be in heavy rotation on soft-rock radio everywhere. Singer Jake Snider is at his most melodic here. In the past his voice kept an almost gravel tone. It was modest and gloomy. On Infinity Overhead though, his voice rings strong and clear, unfortunately though the songs suffer when it takes centre stage. It doesn’t quite fit.

Clearly, this band is talented. That fact alone though, does not make this album great. Ultimately, Infinity Overhead does not stand up to earlier releases, like the seminal Menos El Oso. The music is missing something. It’s not that this album is less fun than previous work – Minus the Bear never have been a fun band – this just seems dreadfully grave. Gone are song titles like “Women We Haven’t Met Yet” or “The Game Needed Me.” Their sullen wit has turned self-serious and dull.

Obviously bands mature. Ten years is a long time for any sort of artistic project. It’s possible they’ve been trying to make this album from the start. And if that’s so, it’s true what they say, the journey is more important than the destination.