Brooklyn based Bear in Heaven formed back in late 2002 by Atlanta’s multi-talented Jon Philpot and incorporated psychedelic, electronic and krautrock (late 60’s, early 70’s German experimental music) and have be compared to Pink Floyd and Animal Collective.
Previously, Jon recorded with Need Thomas Windhamas in a band called Presocratics; in 2001 the duo released two albums.
But back to Bear in Heaven.
Jon’s first Bear in Heaven EP, Tunes Next Door Songs, was a solo effort and included guest musicians on various instruments and various tracks. Soon after that release, Jon brought in permanent band mates and fellow southerners Adam Wills (guitar), Sadek Bazarra (keyboard, guitar), David Daniell (guitars), James Elliott (bass) and Joe Stickney (drums). Eventually David and James left to pursue their solo work.
The band currently performs as a quartet with Jon (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Adam (guitar, bass), Sadek (bass, keyboards), and Joe (drums).
They released their first LP, Red Bloom of the Boom in 2007 and their second LP, Beast Rest Forth Mouth on October 13, 2009 which received Pitchfork’s "Best New Music" award. Pitchfork said of the album, “Beast Rest Forth Mouth is as familiar-feeling as it is difficult to pinpoint. Mostly made up of textural, spacious three- to four-minute pop anthems with towering choruses, Beast Rest Forth Mouth is a welcome reminder that an album doesn't have to be bombastic to feel huge and important…”
Visit their blog here. Visit the band’s myspace page here and website here.
Check here to see if Bear in Heaven have any gigs scheduled near you.
As always, whenever possible, please buy your music from your local independent music store by people who know and love music and not from retailers like Wal-Mart (soulless, globally-homogenizing, community-killers) or i-Tunes (albums should be listened to as an entire composition with album cover and liner notes in hand). Incidentally, these two companies sell more music than any other retailer in the United States. That my friend, bites.
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This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2010.