There’s a vocal riot going, with frantic activity on guitars, keyboards and brass. If you puke you might miss the rollercoaster, novelty sandwich toaster of an album opener ‘Jupiter Force [recruitment video]’. Big band Bearsuit sure know how to entertain, and this is their third long player. Five out of the six members of this band take a turn in vocal duties; it’s just drummer Matt Hutchings left to his own devices. All the other zombies, bears and band-standers in the group are multi-instrumentalists, whipping up an over-the-top celebration of musical misrule.
And the feeling runs deep: three of Bearsuit’s line-up, Lisa Horton, Cerian Hutchings and Jan Robertson, also have a keytar-only project called Keytarded. Also in the past they have aptly toured with their Norwich neighbours KaitO, and the much-loved Deerhoof.
Bearsuit’s songs cover a smorgasbord of subject matters, covering issues that range from the search for tangible proof of a soul on steamrolling latest single ‘More Soul than a Wigan Casino’; lizard loving on the shoutily harmonious ‘Dinosaur Heart’; evil gangs of tiny kids on the Melt Banana-like ‘Hark! The Feral Children’; colonising of the solar system on ‘Mission IO Must Not Fail’, which again makes evident a male vocal at work, one which summons the spirit of Graham Coxon. And then there’s love. Yes, even Bearsuit are prone to a bit of romance on ‘The Love Will Never Find You’. If that all sounds a bit much for you, then there is always time for a slow song with sweet trumpet sounds called ‘Look A Bleached Coral Faced Crow With Jewels For Eyes’.
But Bearsuit are at their very best when the ride is fast and scary, like a psycho-killer ghost train ride. Or_, the sound of the track _‘Shh Get It Out’. So this lot, then: they’ve got it all. Creative instinct, male and female vocals, and a plethora of instruments and themes. All they need now is your ears.
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