MINUS THE BEAR
''LOST LOVES''
OCTOBER 7 2014
42:26
1 Electric Rainbow 03:39
2 Surf n Turf 03:33
3 Broken China 05:37
4 Walk on Air 03:31
5 Patiently Waiting 04:09
6 Cat Calls & Ill Means 03:34
7 Invented Memory 04:23
8 South Side Life 04:15
9 Your Private Sky 04:45
10 The Lucky Ones 04:56
All Songs Written By Minus The Bear & Lyrics By Jake Snider
Jake Snider - Vocals, Guitar
David Knudson - Guitars
Erin Tate - Drums
Alex Rose - Keyboards, Vocals
Cory Murchy - Bass
Ely Guerra - Additional Vocals On ''South Side Life''
Jed Miley - Acoustic Guitar On ''South Side Life''
REVIEW
by Gregory Heaney
With albums as tightly constructed as Minus the Bear's, it's hard to imagine that there's much left over after the recording process is over and done with. Those knotty, intricate albums come at a cost, and songs that once paid the ultimate price in the name of consistency get a second chance on Lost Loves. Resurrecting songs from the recording sessions that spawned 2007's Planet of Ice, 2010's Omni, and 2012's Infinity Overhead, the collection lovingly compiles these nearly forgotten (or at the very least hard to find) gems into what feels more or less like a complete album. And unlike a lot of odds and ends compilations, which often contain at least a few tracks where it's obvious why they were jettisoned from an album, the quality of the tracks on Lost Loves easily stands up to the rest of the band's body of work. The tracks here are even sequenced in a way that gives the album a real sense of flow, making the album solid enough that, had Minus the Bear just released it as a standalone record, there's a good chance people might not have noticed. It would seem that whatever it is that makes an album stick out from the pack on a Minus the Bear record is fairly consistent, but given the quality of this band's output and the uniqueness of their sound, it comes as no surprise that not only are their cast-offs pretty solid, but that make for an oddly good album when strung together. This makes Lost Loves one of those rare B-sides collections that isn't just for super fans, but for anyone who enjoys the twisting, labyrinthine melodies Minus the Bear are capable of conjuring almost by accident.
BIOGRAPHY
by Laurel Greenidge
With catchy song titles like "Hey, Wanna Throw Up? Get Me Naked," "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!," and "Lemurs, Man, Lemurs," it's hard not to be at least a little bit curious about this Seattle-based quintet. Featuring members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving, Minus the Bear emerged on Seattle's music scene in 2001 with the release of their six-song EP This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic. The band comprised guitarist Dave Knudson, vocalist/guitarist Jake Snider, drummer Erin Tate, and bassist Cory Murchy. Though the bandmembers entered the studio before they ever played a show, they toured aggressively in support of the EP, then returned to the studio to record 2002's Highly Refined Pirates, their first full-length album. Both the EP and LP were released by Seattle-based Suicide Squeeze Records.
Though the song titles may lead one to believe that they're a novelty act, Minus the Bear provide polished, shrewdly arranged songs. Finger-tapped guitar riffs mixed with catchy melodies and unexpected time changes keep listeners interested and entertained. Minus the Bear issued two EPs in 2004: Bands Like It When You Yell "Yar!" at Them on Suicide Squeeze and They Make Beer Commercials Like This on Arena Rock. Their next full-length, the self-produced Menos el Oso (Spanish for Minus the Bear), appeared in August 2005; the remix album Interpretaciones del Oso followed in early 2007. The band released the full-length Planet of Ice later that year. In 2009 the band went into the studio with My Morning Jacket producer Joe Chiccarelli, and the following year released the album Omni through Dangerbird Records. Their fifth album, Infinity Overhead, followed on the label in 2012. Two years later Minus the Bear returned with Lost Loves, a B-sides and rarities collection featuring songs culled from the recording sessions of their previous three studio albums.
''LOST LOVES''
OCTOBER 7 2014
42:26
1 Electric Rainbow 03:39
2 Surf n Turf 03:33
3 Broken China 05:37
4 Walk on Air 03:31
5 Patiently Waiting 04:09
6 Cat Calls & Ill Means 03:34
7 Invented Memory 04:23
8 South Side Life 04:15
9 Your Private Sky 04:45
10 The Lucky Ones 04:56
All Songs Written By Minus The Bear & Lyrics By Jake Snider
Jake Snider - Vocals, Guitar
David Knudson - Guitars
Erin Tate - Drums
Alex Rose - Keyboards, Vocals
Cory Murchy - Bass
Ely Guerra - Additional Vocals On ''South Side Life''
Jed Miley - Acoustic Guitar On ''South Side Life''
REVIEW
by Gregory Heaney
With albums as tightly constructed as Minus the Bear's, it's hard to imagine that there's much left over after the recording process is over and done with. Those knotty, intricate albums come at a cost, and songs that once paid the ultimate price in the name of consistency get a second chance on Lost Loves. Resurrecting songs from the recording sessions that spawned 2007's Planet of Ice, 2010's Omni, and 2012's Infinity Overhead, the collection lovingly compiles these nearly forgotten (or at the very least hard to find) gems into what feels more or less like a complete album. And unlike a lot of odds and ends compilations, which often contain at least a few tracks where it's obvious why they were jettisoned from an album, the quality of the tracks on Lost Loves easily stands up to the rest of the band's body of work. The tracks here are even sequenced in a way that gives the album a real sense of flow, making the album solid enough that, had Minus the Bear just released it as a standalone record, there's a good chance people might not have noticed. It would seem that whatever it is that makes an album stick out from the pack on a Minus the Bear record is fairly consistent, but given the quality of this band's output and the uniqueness of their sound, it comes as no surprise that not only are their cast-offs pretty solid, but that make for an oddly good album when strung together. This makes Lost Loves one of those rare B-sides collections that isn't just for super fans, but for anyone who enjoys the twisting, labyrinthine melodies Minus the Bear are capable of conjuring almost by accident.
BIOGRAPHY
by Laurel Greenidge
With catchy song titles like "Hey, Wanna Throw Up? Get Me Naked," "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!," and "Lemurs, Man, Lemurs," it's hard not to be at least a little bit curious about this Seattle-based quintet. Featuring members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving, Minus the Bear emerged on Seattle's music scene in 2001 with the release of their six-song EP This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic. The band comprised guitarist Dave Knudson, vocalist/guitarist Jake Snider, drummer Erin Tate, and bassist Cory Murchy. Though the bandmembers entered the studio before they ever played a show, they toured aggressively in support of the EP, then returned to the studio to record 2002's Highly Refined Pirates, their first full-length album. Both the EP and LP were released by Seattle-based Suicide Squeeze Records.
Though the song titles may lead one to believe that they're a novelty act, Minus the Bear provide polished, shrewdly arranged songs. Finger-tapped guitar riffs mixed with catchy melodies and unexpected time changes keep listeners interested and entertained. Minus the Bear issued two EPs in 2004: Bands Like It When You Yell "Yar!" at Them on Suicide Squeeze and They Make Beer Commercials Like This on Arena Rock. Their next full-length, the self-produced Menos el Oso (Spanish for Minus the Bear), appeared in August 2005; the remix album Interpretaciones del Oso followed in early 2007. The band released the full-length Planet of Ice later that year. In 2009 the band went into the studio with My Morning Jacket producer Joe Chiccarelli, and the following year released the album Omni through Dangerbird Records. Their fifth album, Infinity Overhead, followed on the label in 2012. Two years later Minus the Bear returned with Lost Loves, a B-sides and rarities collection featuring songs culled from the recording sessions of their previous three studio albums.
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