Twangville readers picked ‘The Bear’ by Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers as their favorite release for week of September 8, 2009.
With their fifth full release the SK6ERS solidify what they’ve always done well… plain-and-simple rock-n-roll! Chock full of layered instrumentation and pop hooks The Bear should be a recipe for how to produce a bulletproof alternative rock album. The band is known primarily for their tenacious touring capacity. If they’ve been under your radar, now is the time to change that. Grab this album and work your way backward. The title track kicks things off with a bluesy rock romp that tells it like it is with “Sometimes you get the bear / sometimes the bear gets you / sometimes your gonna win / sometimes your gonna lose / but you know in the end / it’s all the same to me”. “Do” tells the tale of someone who is trying to dig their way out of the dog house but doesn’t know quite how. Oh Adeline puts life into perspective with lines like “Gonna need a second heart for all this love / Gonna need a better answer to the problems of the world / Vivid is my eyesight / Scary but I’m feeling so alive”. This is a favorite of the year. [★★★★★/4.8 — Tom Osborne]
RIYL: Will Hoge, Matt Nathanson
About the author: Washington, D.C. area creative by day. Music is my muse. I host Twangville’s weekly Readers‘ Pick.