| WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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They’re no longer a band trying on a sound for size, they’ve established their sound and they’re finally making records that seem like the cohesive product of one mindset
It's subtle moments like these that illustrate just how far Bear in Heaven have progressed as songwriters, and I Love You, It's Cool is an album rife with them.
It’s Cool feels glossier, smoothing the mechanical krautrock edges with polished prog-rock, the results of which are more accessible than its previous work.
It’s unabashedly fun, even when it’s melancholy, and it’s particularly rewarding when it reaches its blown-out M83 moments, inciting some hand-to-God fist pumps.
I Love You, It's Cool is admirable in large part because its ambitions are every bit as subtle and difficult to quantify as its pleasures
Despite the overwhelming similarities between each album track, the bubble they’ve limited themselves to works exceedingly well.
When Bear in Heaven’s desire for duality—the confluence of ambience and pop—succeeds, it does so brilliantly. Ironically, it only manages these heights half the time.
That’s part of the problem with Bear In Heaven’s third LP - they just don’t take enough risks.
The key unpardonable offense is that only a couple of the tracks really resonate, even with repeated spins.
The overindulgence comes off as an indistinguishable wall of sound and, even worse, as a terrific bore.
| # 20 - | Under the Radar |
