By Jackie Lam
Beast Rest Forth Mouth,
Bear in Heaven’s follow-up to their debut, Red Bloom of the Boom is like a
collection of cinematic moments: those times in our lives that are so vividly stored
in our minds, such as our first kiss or perhaps a quiet discovery we keep to
ourselves. This Brooklyn-based threesome
has managed to put out a sophomore album that is a venture into far-ranging soundscapes
with nuanced emotionality. Like trying to ponder the dynamics behind a cosmic
relationship or the reasons for a whimsical occurrence, I didn’t want to bother
breaking it down how or why the songs work too much. To listen to the 10 tracks is to revel in something so eerily
well-thought-out that it’s bordering on majesty.
“Beast in Peace” has a haunting, tribal drumbeat with an
beautifully executed drum solo wedged in the middle of the song. Although there’s a healthy mixture of airy
guitars and lush synths there’s a deliberate minimalism that balances the rest
of the song. One of my favorite recordings on the album is “Lovesick
Teenagers,” a hefty ballad that manages to be potent without too much sentimentality.
What really reels you in is the way Jon Philpot sings with moderate restraint. There’s
even a subtle sound effect of a flock of seagulls crying at certain points in
the song, which is quite a kicker.
“Fake Out” is another standout. The song cuts right into intricate
layering of a heady swell of guitars, pervasive bass drum and windy synths. It’s
like a scene in a story or part of a movie that that work so wonderfully but
you can’t manage to figure out what. Tracks such as “Dust Cloud” bears a bit of shoegazer rock
reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine,
while “Wholehearted Mess” and “You Do
You” have an undeniable krautrock influence with a profuse, lyrical pop
quality.
It’s no secret that these songs are a byproduct of laborious
songwriting. Beast Rest Forth Mouth
is just song after deliriously enjoyable song of a great creative magnitude. They
will be rereleasing the album this fall as a dual disc with bonus remix CD
featuring Twin Shadow, Jesu, and Twin Shadow.
You can download an mp3 of “Lovesick Teenagers” here: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11522-lovesick-teenagers/
Bear in Heaven will be playing at The Echo on July 27th with Twin
Sister.
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