Brown Bear - Music to Swim To (EP)
Music to Swim To is Brown Bears second EP release. It is a grittily romantic album; depression and love are major themes. The sound certainly conveys this, via slightly discordant vocals of Col Hockey, prominent bass and low key piano. The indie-folk rock groups album floats along at a leisurely pace, with acoustic guitar melodies, occasional echo-y vocal reflections and soft electro inserts.
Brown Bears first track 'Anything' is extremely catchy and something I can’t get out of my head. A hard thing for this jaded romantic. Their second track 'Naked' is sadly dreamy in its lyrics and acoustic melody. 'Naked' has made it into the top 20 of Triple J’s unearthed, so its one to listen out for. 'The Customer' is rich in a use of layered sound and reminded me of a Radiohead tune in its angst ridden composition and layering of vocals and sound.
This isn’t an EP for impatient people; Brown Bear have developed a rich and ambient somewhat slow moving sound-scape. They are successful in expressing emotion through sound and have given the indie-folk genre an interesting spin.
Brown Bear are ones to listen to in your in a romantic or melancholy mood. They have jokingly described Brown Bear as “Coldplay playing drunk and feeling sorry for themselves”, so have a few more drinks and let the pity party begin.
