“Pop” is a tag that’s been assigned to Minus The Bear throughout their
career. It’s been used to set a distinction between the unique brand of
complex indie rock they introduced on their first EP and the more angular
and aggravated sounds of their previous bands Botch, Kill Sadie, and
Sharks Keep Moving. It’s also a tag that was thrown around frequently in
the wake of their streamlined fourth album, OMNI. And it’s a descriptor
that immediately comes to mind within the first few seconds of their classic
second formal EP, They Make Beer Commercials Like This. Now celebrating
its 10-year anniversary and first time in print since 2011, Beer
Commercials is the evolutionary step between Minus The Bear’s first two
landmark albums, Highly Refined Pirates and Menos El Oso. Opening
track “Fine + 2 Points” remains one of the band’s strongest opening tracks
in their discography, charging out of the gates with a syncopated stomp
that comes across as a more agitated take on Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get
You Outta My Head”. If Minus The Bear were looking to make pop music
without any of its major-scale bubblegum trappings, they nailed it here.
The band follows it with “Let’s Play Clowns” and “Dog Park”—nods to
Highly Refined Pirates’ formula of frenetic clean guitar work, bombastic
choruses, and Jake Snider’s lyrics of detached romantic nostalgia. These
tracks may represent Minus The Bear’s original trademark version of pop,
but on songs like “I’m Totally Not Down With Rob’s Alien” the band
eschews it’s restless energy for atmosphere and dynamics, creating a sound
that’s inspired more than a handful of contemporary melodic post-rock
bands. By the time the band belts out “Pony Up!” the listener has watched
the three-year sonic transition between Minus The Bear’s first two
full-lengths transpire within under half-an-hour, with the their earlier math
rock predilections yielding to the tightly wound club-banging pedalboard
trickery that defined their sophomore album. Even if Beer Commercials
doesn’t fit within your definition of pop music, the unorthodox energetic
charm of this relatively low-profile release serves as an exciting reminder
of why Minus The Bear became one of the most important and influential
indie rock bands of the new century.
1. Fine + 2 PTS
2. Let’s Play Clowns
3. Dog Park
4. I’m Totally Not Down With
Rob’s Alien
5. Hey! Is That A Ninja Up There?
6. Pony Up!
7. Houston, We Have Uh-Oh
career. It’s been used to set a distinction between the unique brand of
complex indie rock they introduced on their first EP and the more angular
and aggravated sounds of their previous bands Botch, Kill Sadie, and
Sharks Keep Moving. It’s also a tag that was thrown around frequently in
the wake of their streamlined fourth album, OMNI. And it’s a descriptor
that immediately comes to mind within the first few seconds of their classic
second formal EP, They Make Beer Commercials Like This. Now celebrating
its 10-year anniversary and first time in print since 2011, Beer
Commercials is the evolutionary step between Minus The Bear’s first two
landmark albums, Highly Refined Pirates and Menos El Oso. Opening
track “Fine + 2 Points” remains one of the band’s strongest opening tracks
in their discography, charging out of the gates with a syncopated stomp
that comes across as a more agitated take on Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get
You Outta My Head”. If Minus The Bear were looking to make pop music
without any of its major-scale bubblegum trappings, they nailed it here.
The band follows it with “Let’s Play Clowns” and “Dog Park”—nods to
Highly Refined Pirates’ formula of frenetic clean guitar work, bombastic
choruses, and Jake Snider’s lyrics of detached romantic nostalgia. These
tracks may represent Minus The Bear’s original trademark version of pop,
but on songs like “I’m Totally Not Down With Rob’s Alien” the band
eschews it’s restless energy for atmosphere and dynamics, creating a sound
that’s inspired more than a handful of contemporary melodic post-rock
bands. By the time the band belts out “Pony Up!” the listener has watched
the three-year sonic transition between Minus The Bear’s first two
full-lengths transpire within under half-an-hour, with the their earlier math
rock predilections yielding to the tightly wound club-banging pedalboard
trickery that defined their sophomore album. Even if Beer Commercials
doesn’t fit within your definition of pop music, the unorthodox energetic
charm of this relatively low-profile release serves as an exciting reminder
of why Minus The Bear became one of the most important and influential
indie rock bands of the new century.
1. Fine + 2 PTS
2. Let’s Play Clowns
3. Dog Park
4. I’m Totally Not Down With
Rob’s Alien
5. Hey! Is That A Ninja Up There?
6. Pony Up!
7. Houston, We Have Uh-Oh