Customer Reviews

OK Bear

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jeremy Enigk
OK Bear; 2009
Lewis Hollow Recordings

My Rating: 86/100

Void of pretense, full of wonder...

OK BEAR is quite possibly the most sincere record you will hear the indie side of CCM. It is also proof positive that Jeremy Enigk is a songwriter that we can expect great things from for years to come. Enigk is one of only a few artists to transcend the hyper-hipsterism and slacker-than-thou mentality of the indie scene and deliver fantastic music that is entirely void of pretense and cynicism and completely brimming with joy and wonder. In fact, OK BEAR might just be Enigk's purest statement of his own artistic vision. Apparently taking its overarching theme from the tension between child-like wonder and adultist realism, the twelve tracks herein, like the kid on the cover, serve as guardians for a "magic world" that Enigk's imagination seems to inhabit. Stylistically, Enigk continues to play to his strongest suits, with the classic Sunny Day Real Estate track "Guitar and Video Games" being the obvious touchstone for the album's sound. This is a truly inspiring record. In a world where EMO tends to be a bad word representing an overwrought obsession with self, Enigk takes the trappings of the genre he helped define and rather uses it to elevate the listener. I can't wait to see what's next, and I hope I can catch him live at some point.

Cohesion (5/5)
Concept (5/5)
Consequence (4/5)
Consistency (4.5/5)

Tracks:

1. Mind Idea (5/5)
2. Late of Camera (5/5)
3. April Storm (5/5)
4. Life's Too Short (4/5)
5. Just a State of Mind (4/5)
6. In a Look (5/5)
7. Sandwich Time (3.5/5)
8. Same Side Imaginary (5/5)
9. Restart (5/5)
10. Make Believe (4/5)
11. Vale Oso (5/5)
12. Snt Feliu de Guixols (5/5)

The last time I saw Jeremy live he spoke of a record he had recorded in Spain and did one or two songs from it, if I remember correctly. Word started to emerge that the new CD would have a stripped down sound, none of the orchestrations of Frog Queen and less of the drama of World Waits. This frankly made me a bit apprehensive, as it is the power of Enigk that makes him unlike anyone else in the business.

I got OK Bear the first day it was released and on the first listen you could tell that here he had abandoned much of the studio wizardry that informed his first two solo CDs. This is a "dry" recording with little reverb and not much overdubbing. The first noticeable effect of this change is that his voice is there before you higher in the mix than normal and clearer than usual. And that can only be considered a glorious gift because Jeremy isn't called "The Voice" for nothing. If you have ever seen him live you know exactly what I mean and if you have not yet seen him live do NOT return to your Maker without having that incredible experience. The man has a power about him that must be experienced in person.

This CD is vastly better than I expected from the pre-release commentary. To my ears this is his best collection of songs from the softly voluptuous Vale Oso to the storming 7th track which is either called Sandwich Time or In a Look (there is a mix-up of titles, lyrics, and song orders in the CD insert), but whatever it is called it is an incredibly wonderful rock song and one that I must see him do live with a band. But to me, the standout cut is Life Is Short, which has a gorgeous and fantastically sinewy and twisty melody, sung with his "intenseometer" set to at least to 11.

This CD will satisfy almost all of Jeremy's current fans, even if it somewhat defies their expectations and it could be the music that finally invites the general public along for the greatest ride in modern music.

And let the speculation begin about the CD's title. The cover has a photo of Jeremy taken on his first day of school and he is a cute little bugger. <G> Jeremy claims the title is the closest English pronunciation of some Spanish phrase he tried to pronounce while recording the CD in Spain. I strongly suspect that it is a reverse homage to OK Computer, looking back to the times in the cover photo when he may have had a stuffed bear that was his nighttime comfort. And while Radiohead tried to deal with the computer on their incredible CD, Jeremy goes back to the simpler days of his youth for this incredible music.

Just another mind-blowing and soul-inspiring accomplishment, but then it seems he is not capable of anything less than this level of brilliance.
Order two copies right now. One for yourself and one to give to your best friend. Heck, buy more than that and give it to all your friends.

I've been a fan of SDRE and Jeremy's solo work. I really like "How It Feels to Be Something On" and "Missing Link".

I thought when previewing "OK Bear" I'd love it, but it turns out, after listening to whole album a few times, I just couldn't get into it. The songs build dramatically, star to gain momentum, then suddenly stop. I wished each song was a minute longer.

Maybe, like many other Enigk albums, it may grow on me over time, but I just can't give this one four or five stars.

I must be honest, I haven't listened to this album in its entirety yet, as my copy seems to have gotten lost somewhere along the way in shipping (and I would never pirate an album by someone I adore this much). But what I have heard (every live rendition that has surfaced lately, as well as all the old demos I could nab off www.enigk.com) has informed me enough to back me up when I allege that this will be the most tragically underrated album of the year, at least. Sure, many innovative indie bands will release astounding records that may never even see the light of day, much less many accolades on this site, and that is devastating. But what makes this album so tragically neglected is that it really, by all reasonable lines of logic, should be blaring in more earbuds than the Jonas Bros' latest. I mean, Sunny Day Real Estate practically invented the entire style that the Jonas Bros are now copping, all while those whippersnappers were generally considered dweebs (I can attest to this because my cousins knew them back when they were gawky little preteens). But I digress. The problem is not who deserves the spotlight more. The problem is that there's plenty of spotlight to illuminate everyone worthy. And sadly, OK Bear may only see a sliver of that limelight.
So please world, prove my predictions wrong! Exalt this guy! Even if only just enough to afford him a new guitar or something trivial like that. After everything he's done to terraform the music industry, after years of continuing to bless his fans with his ethereal voice & majestic compositions... doesn't he deserve to upstage his predecessors for a bit? If Death Cab's Narrow Stairs can crack the top of the Billboard charts, we can at least get our friends to lend Jeremy an ear. Besides, music this uplifting & enriching... shouldn't everyone be slavering over substantial music like this?
Whatever.
Just get this album and wear it out.

Well this CD is much different from his prior efforts. I like everything he has touched, the mellow and the rock. This CD has a little of both. I was first amazed to have some rockin tunes again, but the mellow ones really stand out after multiple listens. I think this CD is also much more uplifting and a great summer CD to drive with your windows down to. If you liked anything from his history in music you should find something in this album for you.

1. Mind Idea- 9/10
2. Late of Camera- 8.5/10
3. April Storm- 7.5/10
4. Life's Too Short- 9/10
5. Just a State of Mind- 8/10
6. Sandwich Time- 9/10
7. In a Look- 8/10
8. Same Side Imaginary- 7.5/10
9. Restart- 7.5/10
10. Make Believe- 9/10
11. Vale OSO- 8.5/10
12. Saint Feliu De Guixols- 9/10


No matter what Jeremy Enigk does he will forever be linked to Emo legends Sunny Day Real Estate (SDRE), and rightfully so. His hauntingly emotional voice helped carry the band to the top of the independent music scene. SDRE broke up over disputed circumstances, some say over Jeremy finding God (although the band denies this), and some say over musical reasons. They reformed with 3/4th of the original lineup and although their sound and Jeremy's voice had changed they still put out great music. They broke up again and formed The Fire Theft, which did not live up to expectations, and Jeremy went back to writing his solo material. Unfortunately everyone likes to knock Jeremy Enigk's solo material, because it's not Sunny Day Real Estate. The truth is it's pretty good. I have heard all of his solo material, but Return of the Frog Queen (which was released between SDRE stints) and OK Bear (the album I am currently reviewing) are the ones I am most familiar with.

OK Bear sounds like a mix of SDRE's How It Feels to be Something On, his first solo album Return of the Frog Queen, and a dash of the Rising Tide. The vocal and musical arrangements are very similar to How It Feels to be Something On. You can hear on OK Bear that Jeremy is really embracing his SDRE days (This should have foreshadowed the reunion of Sunny Day Real Estate). OK Bear is a little more pop oriented than SDRE. Along with the obvious SDRE influence Jeremy Enigk mixes in the influences he draws from other great bands: The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Electric Light Orchestra, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, and Nick Drake. On OK Bear Jeremy seems to be very comfortable with his song writing. The album is very fluid and songs flow into each other very nicely. I know everyone wants Jeremy's solo stuff to be SDRE, but if you can get past that and take OK Bear for what it is you will find it quite rewarding.

The Song by Song rating is 84%. However with the maturity of the song writing, the ability of Jeremy to meld different styles of music together, and the great flow of the album I would give the overall rating a 90%

Similar Artists/Influences- Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft, Band of Horses, The Beatles, Badly Drawn Boy, Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Elliott, The Shins, Mock Orange (later stuff)