College Times

Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Music

Media Credit: Courtesy Funzalo Records

Tucson's Mostly Bears' debut full-length is a promising collection of emotionally charged progressive rock. The songs are a blend of much of what's been kicking around indie rock for the past few years, distilled into a rewarding sound that, while not entirely original, certainly makes a bold statement about a new group of talented musicians in Arizona.

Sure, the music here sounds very familiar, especially the vocals. Singer/guitarist Brian Lopez uses his voice like an instrument, moving from tenor to falsetto, stretching words and phrases. It's a voice reminiscent of Tim Buckley and Thom Yorke, Win Butler and Spencer Krug. While it's a voice that easily brings others to mind, it's hard to fault someone for singing this way, especially when he's quite good at it.

More importantly, though, is how the group manages to fit that voice into the music. While there are aspects of the trio's appreciation for The Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Radiohead, Tortoise and Muse in their music, it's also hard to find too much fault when everything is performed so well.

This is another in an increasingly long line of modern progressive rock releases, complete with long songs that move between instrumental passages and carefully constructed pop tunes. And like other bands now working with this sound, more attention is paid to how the music reaches an emotional center than showing off the musicians' abilities. Of course, it's evident this music takes ability. Lopez, along with bassist Geoff Hidalgo and drummer Nick Wantland, are obviously talented. At no point does this sound like the work of three people.

This is dense music, but it isn't overwhelming. The band creates an enveloping sound that uses heavy, rubbery rhythms to give the songs a pulse, a flow that never seems to descend into moments of pounding aggression. Over this, they lay down Lopez's melodic guitar lines and vocal acrobatics. The construction allows for space, something too few bands remember helps project feeling just as much as layers of sound. Working like this, the band moves the album from a modest folk-like first third through to the end, where the volume is kicked up a few notches and the band's music reaches for a final moment of catharsis.

It's not a perfect debut, but it's one that has enough promise it's easy to forget how much the band still owes to their influences.

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