Minus The Bear and the Omni Factor

It doesn't seem as though Minus the Bear has taken a break from recording or touring in the last four years. These guys are clearly among the hardest working bands in the industry and they've done more road work and studio work in the last few years than most bands do in their careers. So, here we are, just a year or so since their last album and MTB are back once again with a career defining moment known as Omni.

A cool progressive work of musical art Omnisees Minus the Bear heading into unchartered territory. Gone are the connections to anything related to emo and welcoming with big open arms are the connections to Yes and Genesis. Yes, you read this correctly, Minus The Bear have headed even further down the prog rock road they've only hinted at in the past. While the band have retained some of the mathy elements that made them more than just another emo-like band they now have taken that math rock element and mixed it in with even more complex arrangements that miraculously sound accessible. While these guys were writing complex songs with a bazillion riffs and movements on previous efforts they've toned that down slightly and have run their opus through the patented Rush prog rock commercial meter and come up with an album that's still complex but has definite commercial appeal.

While this change in direction may unsettle some fans, the band have always hinted at doing something like this so it really should be no surprise. It's different to be sure, but it's rather good stuff if the truth be told. The songs ebb and flow throughout Omniand the band offers a slightly jazzy and intricate approach to writing songs; it's math rock if it were square rooted. In fact, Minus the Bear aren't too far away from being some sort of a jazz-fusion group with their one foot firmly planted in the experimental indie rock camp and another planted in a stack of Mahavishnu Orchestra records. Perhaps, their next record will be completely fusion as they continue their journey further afield from their humble emo beginnings.

Call Minus the Bear whatever you want but their experimentalism, musical chops, and accessibility are a force to be reckoned with. The exceptionally well written, "My Time," and the laid back jazzy and progressive tune, "Excuses," are fine examples of the melodic mathy fusion these guys are capable of. Minus the Bear are truly fantastic musicians and they craft their songs with precision, complexity, and a sense of adventure. This is the sort of album where musicians will shake their head in awe and spend a lot of time trying to figure out what these guys are doing. That's a good thing because there are so few bands like this around right now. So much so, Minus the Bear are pretty close to cornering the market.