I am very sad right now. Nothing to do with the quality of this record. Rather, I’m sad about a concert conflict. While this might be blasphemy to some, I’m skipping Bear In Heaven (and my longtime favorites House of Heroes!) for a Foster the People show (PROOFREADING UPDATE: I’m now traveling and can’t make any of them!). What a trio to have to choose between! While I may miss a great show, I find solace in this dreamy, droney masterpiece that is Time Is Over One Day Old.

I used to write for a blog called Mezzic (which you should still check out, they’re rad). It was there, in my days of getting introduced to the big wide world of music journalism that I was offered the opportunity to review a little band called Bear in Heaven. At the time I summed them up to be a more accessible version of Animal Collective and filed them away in my iTunes, thinking “hmm, cool record!”

Bear in Heaven is back with a vengeance and here to stay, as if they weren’t before. The psychedelic tendencies fused with dreamy melodies are out in droves, but a tidal wave of grooves has been set upon the whole thing. The groove hits you in waves, just like the swells of synth wash over you over and over. The mood oscillates between a sense of foreboding (“Autumn”) and pessimistic reassurance (“You Don’t Need the World”).

The prevalence of layers of sound in this record might lead some to believe that Bear in Heaven is trying too hard. I don’t feel this is the case. In moments where it appears the band is trying to channel someone else in the alternative scene we are often quickly yanked back to their reality.

While this might seem kind of a trite thing to point out, I liked that I found the songs more distinguishable from one another this time around too. I’ll admit that I haven’t listened to the early material of this band.

I’ll end on this: this is certainly one of the more interesting records you’ll find this year. It’s experimental, yet not so otherworldly that the masses wouldn’t find things to like.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjYaoPsFhbA[/youtube]

Score: 4.4/5

Bear in Heaven is on Facebook. Get the album on iTunes.