Brooklyn – Bear in Heaven, a band beloved for their capacious rock soundscapes, is about to surface with their fourth studio album. The record is a 10-track strutter that pitches conviction quietly and breeds revelation gently, making it the perfect soundtrack to the impending end of summer.
Bear in Heaven’s sound is a mixture of psychedelic and electronic music, mixed with krautrock influences (an amazingly-titled German genre dating back to the late 1960s). Based in Brooklyn and founded by front man Jon Philpot, the group was slow to launch and saw some member turnover in its early days. Philpot released an EP of solo recordings, “Tunes Nextdoor to Songs,” in 2003 and shortly thereafter, guitarist Adam Wills, guitarist David Daniell, keyboardist Sadek Bazarra, bassist James Elliot and percussionist Joe Stickney joined the bill. In 2003, Daniell exited the group to focus on his solo career.
In 2007, the band debuted in earnest with its first full-length EP “Red Bloom of the Boom” (released via Hometapes). After the album’s release, Elliot left the band to focus on his work with School of Seven Bells, making space for Jason Nazary to join the bill. This cemented the group in its current incarnation.
2010 saw the release of Bear in Heaven‘s sophomore album, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, which won Pitchfork’s coveted “Best New Music” award. The group’s third LP, I Love You, It’s Cool, surfaced in 2012. For their forthcoming record, Bear in Heaven jumps to Dead Oceans Records. Time Is Over One Day Old is slated for release on August 5th, and it is inarguably an album worth awaiting with great anticipation.
Bear in Heaven pulls out all the stops throughout their 10-track latest. The album opens with “Autumn,” a full-bodied cut supported by long-drawn melodies and an unmistakable, voluminous sense of attitude. The track to follow, “If I Were To Lie,” shares the weightiness of its predecessor. In fact, much of the album shares a sense of density. This is, perhaps, what marks Bear In Heaven’s sound at large, and what has earned them fans since the start.
“The Sun And The Moon And The Stars” lessens the record’s rock-edge pace and lends a heavy dose of psychedelic overtones to the mix. Wistful and calm, this track is seemingly engineered for the quite moments before sleep overtakes a body. A gorgeous, nostalgia-laced ballad, the track drifts in about as quietly as it makes its exit.
Likewise, “You Don’t Need The World” is one of this record’s standout stunners. A slow-thumping track, it builds in time to an inspired melodic lookout. Encouraging without being tawdry, the song’s message pitches detachment like a wise old Buddhist, expertly preaching the value of spiritual and physical minimalism.
Bear in Heaven has a massive national tour on deck in support of Time Is Over One Day Old, which starts and ends in Brooklyn on August 4th and September 17th respectively. After striking rock into the hearts of Americans, these men will kick the continental dust of their shoes and continue their crusade through Europe until October 17th. Go here for tour dates in full, and get psyched to sink into a sonic oasis when this album drops on Tuesday.
Liz Rowley
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