Brooklyn quartet Bear in Heaven’s 2009 LP, Beast Rest Forth Mouth wound up as one of our Best Albums of 2009, and as the band tours around the US, armed with even more European/US touring on tap, the Hometapes label act is primed for the stars. The inclusion of the record on Pitchfork’s top 50 album releases of 2009 doesn’t surprise us a bit. The huge and sprawling album has drawn high critical nods from all the right places. Nonetheless, the quietly advertised stop at Case Western Reserve’s student-only concert venue, “The Spot,” was a must see for us at Citizen Dick. Jon Philpot and crew, importantly, are nice dudes, and putting the entire package together (i.e. recorded material, live show, and introductions) exhibits a mature band that is facing the limelight with vigor and grace. The largeness of the band’s sound translates perfectly live, and perhaps, requires an audience and stage. For the, maybe, one hundred students that attended Wednesday night’s show, a fully loaded and sonically limber Bear in Heaven both stole the show from headliners, Freelance Whales, and offered solidified proof of why they’re one of the more underrated artists coming from the Brooklyn independent label assault right now.
Citizen Dick writer Rob and I took this one in, and although we’re not Case Western students, we were able to sneak onto the list and hit the venue early. Eerily reminiscent of Dazed and Confused’s The Emporium, “The Spot” is a pretty sweet student hangout located in the basement of Leutner hall at Case Western, complete with a snarky little bar, pool tables, and pub style college table and chair set ups. Case houses some of America’s best and brightest students, so it came to no surprise that our early entrance was met with a few stares as students sat with laptops and completed homework while both bands soundchecked and set up the stage. Even as Bear in Heaven began their opening set, it felt like a middle school party, as the students were reluctant to hop up and close in on the stage. Rob and I are a little more seasoned, and we stood up in front of everyone as the band began playing.
One of the distinct markers of Bear in Heaven is its brilliant and pummeling percussion, and when put into a live setting, this leaps outward. Drummer Joe Stickney never stops moving, whether it’s the near tribal pounding bass drum booms of “Beast in Peace” or the cymbal heavy crashing of “You Do You,” the percussion is what glues the sound together. Stickney lined up to the left of the stage due to the Freelance Whales setup behind, but this move was excellent for showcasing all of the members’ talents. Jon Philpot sets up with more wires and gadgets than just about any band I’ve seen. Rolling loops and pre-recorded flourishes splash through each song, and Philpot is the engineer, hitting switches and keys as the largeness of the songs borderline overwhelm the audience. In post-show discussions with Philpot, we chatted about the expansive nature of BIH’s sound and how the tracks need room to breath, which didn’t make “The Spot” the most ideal setup for the sound. The electronic underpinnings of the songs absolutely require a larger setting, lasers and arena filling light arrangements. Of course, the lack of these things didn’t stop folks from shaking their asses and getting lost in the fuzzy and progressive sounds unleashed on them at the show.
The band rolled through most of BRFM with swagger. Fans eventually inched forward to the stage and let the sound saturate them. At the third song, guitarist Adam Wills went into the fuzzy, siren-like riff of “Ultimate Satisfaction,” and any rust was washed away for the remainder of the show. In each review I’ve written, I’ve alluded to how much I love this song, and hearing it live plunges it back into my heavy play rotation. The crowd favorite, “Lovesick Teenagers” was played once early, and then the band aptly ended with “Casual Goodbye” which launches into the previous track’s flighty and soaring chorus at its close. This was oddly relevant, considering most of the Case students probably fit the description. I’ve also mentioned the album as one that listeners MUST listen to in its entirety. Tracks begin one way and often progress into eye-popping and chill-inducing grandiosity. Move this into a face-to-face meeting, and those tracks are downright enormous. Particularly speaking, “Dust Cloud” slowly builds into a chanting, vocal-morphed slow rhythm blitz at the close. Hearing this live was the cherry on top for the evening. Cymbals crashed and most of the fans in attendance seemed to look around and collectively breath out a “woah” in unison. I suppose that’s what draws me to the band’s sound the most. A breathtaking mixture of electronic and rock sounds take listeners into a spaceship of balanced chaos. If you’re unhip on BIH, check out their website by clicking HERE, and try to catch their upcoming tour with indie darlings, Cymbals Eat Guitars, as the year moves onward. In our opinion, the list of must-see shows this year is long, but we’ve got a repeat visit in high ranking. Do yourself the favor and, if Bear in Heaven is within 200 miles, make the drive and grab a seat close to the stage. Earplugs are for wimps, might I add. Check out the dates below as they embark on the tour with CEG. Also, enjoy both “Lovesick Teenagers” and “Wholehearted Mess.”
Bear In Heaven’s Upcoming Dates (With Cymbals Eat Guitars)
Mar 05 Johnny Brenda’s – Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 06 Rock And Roll Hotel – Rock and Roll Hotel Washington, Washington DC
Mar 07 Local 506 – Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Mar 09 The End – The End Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 10 Pilot Light – Pilot Light Knoxville, Tennessee
Mar 11 Earl – The Earl East Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 13 Will’s Pub – Will’s Pub Orlando, Florida
Mar 16 Mango’s – Mango’s Houston, Texas
Mar 22 The Rhythm Room – Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 23 Casbah San Diego – Casbah San Diego, California
Mar 24 Echo – The Echo Los Angeles, California
Mar 25 Bottom Of The Hill – Bottom of The Hill San Francisco, California
Mar 27 Berbati’s Pan – Berbati’s Pan Portland, Oregon
Mar 29 The Biltmore Cabaret – The Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia
Mar 31 Kilby Court – Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 01 Hi Dive – Hi Dive Denver, Colorado
Apr 02 Replay Lounge – Replay Lounge Lawrence, Kansas
Apr 03 Turf Club – Turf Club Saint Paul, Minnesota
Apr 04 Schubas Tavern – Schubes Chicago, Illinois
Apr 06 El Mocambo – El Mocambo Toronto, Ontario
Apr 07 Il Motore – Il Motore Montreal, Quebec
Apr 08 Middle East Downstairs – Middle East Downstairs Cambridge, Massachusetts
Apr 09 Music Hall Of Williamsburg – Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York
Follow Bear In Heaven on Twitter by clicking HERE
Bear In Heaven – Official Site
Bear In Heaven – Lovesick Teenagers
Bear In Heaven – Wholehearted Mess
