Bear Claw

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.