Bearsuit, oh:io

reviewed by dave heaton

A few years after their debut album, the hyper, cartoon-like, frenzied pop band Bearsuit is back, sounding odder and more animated than ever. The first couple songs on oh:io are a thrill ride of horns, harmonies and nonsense. I heard “Steven F***ing Spielberg” a couple years ago, and I still have no idea if they love or hate him, or even have an opinion, cause the songs blows by. But it’s great fun, a blast. There’s an emotional hook within, though I never know what I’m feeling.

Much of oh:io is kind of a messy, hectic blur of screams, speed and strangeness, but also has great melodies, and that dynamite rush that rock n’ roll once delivered. It’s also sweet. They settle down sometimes for a little melancholy tune within the chaos. Yet the funniest and most appropriate song title is probably “Hark! The Feral Children”. Or maybe it’s the final song’s title: “Stay Alive”. On another song they sing, “I don’t know how / but we’ve got to keep it together somehow.” And somehow, they do.

{www.hhbtm.com}