polarOPPOSITEbear

By Angus Maiden

November 2009

Yea. Really, yea. Like, a lot.

My last review of these guys ended on the high note of wanting “to watch their future re-

leases with intrigue”, having picked apart both their flaws and better attributes. This 4-

track EP is one of those future, now present, releases.

I think the title of the album is a good place to start: it’s something a person hurled for-

ward in a time machine from even as recent as the 80's would just say “WHAT?!”, but

we’re all tech-savvy net-linguists these days and we know exactly how to pronounce the

name. Say it with me together guys, “p014r0pp05it3b34r”, because chances are, if the

winds are favourable, you’ll be hearing it around. The title reflects the music: youthful

embracement of a new era, cutting edge stuff that only the select few of us, that are still

quite comfortably weathering net-waves and web-squalls, will understand. An age where you

don’t need to understand the lyrics because immediacy is more important than longevity. The guy has a really nice voice and it compliments the music: immediate reaction equals happy face. No I’m not gonna rush out and buy a physical copy of the EP for the precious liner notes for lyrics, but nonetheless there has been communication.

The communication comes mostly through the delightfully playful interaction of bass and guitar, with a simple message that says, “I am alive”, uplifting yet heavy at the same time. My review of their previous release, “The Cre EP”, noted the bass as being outstanding whilst the guitar was “exceptionally well played, even if monotonously composed”. In this release not only does the guitar appear to have considerably more thought put into its execution of riffage, but is layered with (itself? another guitar?) in a subtle, intriguing and progressive way, and together with the bass craft a familiar yet nonetheless utterly pleasurable soundscape from the solidest rock there is, that being: Rock!

Admiring the well-hewn rock from afar, one notices etchings of “progress”, the noun that appears in the adjective “progressive”, that is thrown around nilly-willy in the contemporary music scene. Yet what does “progressive” really mean? It means it evolves. The song writing on this release is about 450% better than their last release. Each song builds and builds, morphing and twisting, the melodies and root notes summoning wreathes of charisma about their undulating forms to hit your brain at the exact same time as the final part of this manifold creation: the drums, and hit it does.

The drumming on this release is about 875.6% better than their last release, and also highlights the winning factor for me: production. To a sound engineer’s ears this EP is heaven. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard an underground rock drum kit captured so well. Props to the engineer of this EP.

And massive props to the band for delivering on their promise that the next EP would be much, much better. I’m very impressed.

Say it with me, guys, “p014r0pp05it3b34r!!!!”. Yea. No, really: YEA!

Related links;

www.bannedpromotions.com/pobreview

www.myspace.com/polaroppositebear (Download their new record for free!)

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