It’s anniversary week it seems. Yesterday I spoke fondly of Danish label Crunchy Frog’s fifteenth anniversary cover release, and today The Bear Quartet release their fifteenth album since their formation in 1989 and their first on Adrian Recordings. Twenty years is a long time, but there are no signs of metal fatigue in the Swedish indierock quintet.

Exhibit A: Brilliant first single ‘Millions’, which we featured about a month ago. Exhibit B through Z: The rest of the album, the only really weak spot being high-strung, synth-metal track ‘Least Loved (Of The Unloved)’. Other standout tracks are album opener ‘Halmet’ (in the player below), hard rocking ‘Sweet Beef’, afrobeat-ish ballad ‘On The Map’ and the spacious, melancholic ‘I Am Your Sister’.

In an interview with Absolut Noise back in June Mattias Alkberg (vocal/guitar) revealed that they were aiming for the lush sound of Kate Bush, Simple Minds and Talk Talk, and that part of the mission is accomplished. As is the addition of a solid, diverse and rather gloomy rock album to The Bear Quartet’s impressive back catalogue.

Genre: Rock
Who: The Bear Quartet
Album: 89
Label: Adrian Recordings
Year: 2009
Country: Sweden
Language: English
DOWNLOAD VIA

Recommended tracks:
Halmet – Millions – Sweet Beef – I Am Your Sister – On The Map