Solar Bear

If you plan on nodding your head to the beat of Solar Bear's newest album, good fucking luck. Time signatures switch suddenly and unexpectedly throughout the six-song EP, creating oceans of frenzied, finger-stretching chaos before melting into beautiful and sprawling half-tempo breakdowns. The band, recently stripped down to a foursome,...

By Andy Thomas

May 20, 2010

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If you plan on nodding your head to the beat of Solar Bear's newest album, good fucking luck. Time signatures switch suddenly and unexpectedly throughout the six-song EP, creating oceans of frenzied, finger-stretching chaos before melting into beautiful and sprawling half-tempo breakdowns. The band, recently stripped down to a foursome, doesn't stray far from the post-hardcore madness made popular by acts like These Arms Are Snakes and Fear Before, but Captains of Industry, Solar Bear's first recording with guitarist Marshall Gallagher, finds the group inching that much closer to harnessing the dexterous confusion, leaving a cohesive mix of instruments and sounds. Vocalist Marcus Tallitsch's angry shrieks serve as a rigid reminder that backbone and guts reside among the showy musicianship, making it clear that if you can't follow, you might want to get the fuck out of the way.

Andy Thomas is a music journalist who hopes other music journalists write nice things about the music he performs. He lives in Denver with his wife, their two cats and a massive pile of unfinished projects.

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