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I know what you're thinking. Donut. Delicious. Frosted. Tempting. But I wouldn't compare Bear Claw to the donut of their namesake. No, Bear Claw is more like an actual bear's claw to the face. Utilizing two bass guitars and drums, they somehow come off playing riff-heavy time signature rock akin to Drive Like Jehu. And though they do have the double bass set up, you'd think that they were just playing a baritone guitar.

Through the midst of their inventive rock fit for praise and admiration, the lack of varied instrumentation is a help and hindrance. While their sound is very unique and compelling, at times it seems a titch repetitious. Sure, their breakdowns and bass chords are interesting, but it's sort of like watching NASCAR. The first few crashes are intensely exciting, but later on in the race you find yourself saying, "Jeez, why doesn't somebody just die in a fiery smash up already?" Get the picture?

The opening track, "Repetition," is just a repeated drum beat with shouting over it until the last minute or two, when the basses come in with slightly varied moving bass lines. The effect is extremely kickass. When one bass moves, the other moves a little bit afterwards, creating a sort of follow the leader pattern. Then it breaks down into freakout feedback; it set my expectations high. It made me want more. "I Must Have Lost My Ticket" is an excellent follow-up track, utilizing time signature fun and feedback with a steady riff. Overall, the track sort of reminds me of a stripped down "Here Come The Rome Plows" by Drive Like Jehu. But after these two tracks, it just sort of keeps on with the pattern of "I Must Have Lost My Ticket;" nothing too exciting or new. "832" and "Untitled" close the CD off with straightforward rockers that give the album a little bit of redemption in the repetition area, but overall it would have gotten an 8 if I hadn't gotten bored halfway through.



People who liked this also liked:
Aloha - Light WorksOf Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?The Brokedowns - These Colors Don't Run (The Musical)Joe Lally - There to HereThe Shins - Wincing the Night AwayThoughts of Ionesco - The Scar Is Our Watermark [CD/DVD]Rahim - Ideal Lives31 Knots - The Days and Nights of Everything AnywhereBlonde Redhead - 23Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend



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    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 14, 2005 at 3:48 PM (EST)

    i like apple fritters

    Posted by swingline on 2005-03-13 16:57:26
    My Score:

    i really want a glazed bear claw right now

    score is for my potential fat ass

    Posted by bemused on 2005-03-12 20:26:45

    How would you know biatch?

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 12, 2005 at 1:36 AM (EST)

    i call girls who don't shave their vag's bear claws

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 at 11:24 PM (EST)

    listen to lighting bolt

    Posted by NachoHat on 2005-03-11 10:23:37

    I was always more of a regular glazed man myself.

    Posted by sickboi on 2005-03-11 08:39:23

    Great band name.

    On the subject, I always think of Natural Born Killers, where the cop is giving his recount of the young deputy being shot...

    "Muh bear claw....."

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 at 6:32 AM (EST)

    "If you don't give me the bear claw, I'm gonna have to gaffle you."

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 11, 2005 at 2:01 AM (EST)

    My girlfriend will randomly scream "Bear Claw!!!" and grab my ass.

    Just thought I'd let you know.

    -Ken

    Posted by Kenjamin on 2005-03-11 00:43:37
    My Score:

    Holy shit! those basses sound awesome. This is pretty rocking stuff but I can see it getting really repetitive, really fast. I bet their live show is awesome though. In conclusion, good review and my score is for DLJ, Albini, and the new Gospel record, which is seriously blowing my mind.

    Posted by siropsycho on 2005-03-11 00:08:43

    oh god i've got a bear claw stuck in my ass