Album Details

• Artist: Minus The Bear
• Album: Highly Refined Pirates
• Label: Suicide Squeeze
• Year of Release: 2002
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: kev_stev on 2007-07-13

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If the band's name and song titles do not give it away, their songs surely do: Minus the Bear is a band that likes to have fun.  Fun, however, does not mean that they do not take their music seriously.  Whether writing about drinking with friends, pining for girls, skinnydipping, or driving, Minus the Bear successfully creates catchy, sometimes moody, and always very relaxing music, writing choruses that get caught in your head for days and jamming instrumental solos that add a unique, ethereal quality to their music.

The album kicks off with "Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco® Twister," which begins with the unorthodox lyrics "And then we all bought yachts and raced up to the islands."  Minus the Bear is not reluctant to take its listeners to the water, or, frankly, to wherever they live their apparent adventurous lives.  Ending with a series of guitar instrumentals, "...Twister" leads into one of the album's strongest tracks, "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!."  While not exactly aptly named, this track reveals the passion that Minus the Bear has to offer through their music.  "Monkey!!!" has this inexplicable quality that is as elusive as the youthful late-night memories it speaks of; and its sound is so sincere and endearing, yet still has the catchy pop elements which make Minus the Bear so successful, that it alone makes Highly Refined Pirates one of my most nostalgic and overall enjoyable albums.

There is so much to this album that makes it special; from the memorable choruses to the intermittent guitar jam outbursts, Highly Refined Pirates is an original and beautiful first full-release from a band with unlimited potential. I highly recommend this album especially during the summer months, as the songs are both contagious and relatable to anyone that wants to reflect on, and create more, fond moments with their friends.

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