Minus the Bear’s alternative prog rock bonafides had been well established by the time 2010’s Omni was released. As a high schooler I burned up their debut album Highly Refined Pirates, which featured math rock staples such as “Monkey!!!Knife!!!Fight!!!” and “Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse”. These were the days when alternative indie bands had long and incredibly descriptive song titles which oftentimes had very little to do with the song’s subject matter itself– Panic! At The Disco is a good example of this trend, and Minus the Bear was front and center in that scene. It doesn’t make much sense in retrospect but what can I say it was a different time.
Flash forward a couple of years and Minus the Bear had evolved their sound into being a more alternative rock band, with arrangements that still referenced those math rock roots but focused their songwriting on more standard and classic arrangements. Omni was the perfect amalgamation of those roots and their eye forward and cranked out indie hits such as “My Time” and “Summer Angel” that had radio-friendly hooks amidst all the delay-driven guitar rock.
And make no mistake, Omni is a great guitar album. Jake Snider (lead vocals, guitar) and Dave Knudson (lead guitar) shred their way through the 50-minute runtime. It’s easy to see why one of my favorite guitar players of all-time, Mark Pollack from Isla-Vista based jam band Givers & Takers, has listed this album as one of his favorite influences. The guitar leads and hooks here are dynamic and unique, separating themselves from a lot of alt-rock. The demise of good guitar bands is something that has torn at my heart strings over the past decade– here’s to Minus the Bear who kept that flame alive.
Standout Songs: “Summer Angel”, “My Time”, “The Thief”, “Into The Mirror”
