Although we've not come upon them in this guise before, W&H have already been wide to receive the activity of BEAR DRIVER'S prime movers Oli & Harry. The latter featured in the promising Crayon, while Oli's band, the mighty Samsa should never have been allowed to slip through the cracks.
Still, dust yourself down and move on and all that and now in tandem, Oli and Harry present us with Bear Driver: a powerful, slightly idiosyncratic new beast created with love who deserves to survive and thrive in pop's crowded forest.
Momentum is building already. This debut EP is due towards the end of May; a further EP is underway and there are persistent rumours of a Dance To The Radio release before 2009 is out. Seething creativity remains the order of the day in the Leeds and West Yorks area, it seems.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. The 'Paws & Claws' EP is deserving of more in-depth scrutiny. There are three exciting new creations here. Opener 'A Thousand Samurais' proffers an insistent, mid-fi-ish sound. It's a gentle chug of a thing, with rich, murmured boy-girl harmonies, the occasional tinkle of glockenspiel and a warm shawl of accordion keeping it warm. The throbbing, backwards-masked guitars give it a fractured psychedelic feel and its' soft focus textures are never less than intriguing.
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Second tune 'No Time To Speak' is the fastest thing here and the urgency's palpable, although the diverting touches of glock, accordion and keys lend a wintry touch to an already enchanting pop landscape. Opening with a dirge-y, whimsical accordion part, the closing 'Ada Rose' really kicks in after a muffled, if celebratory cheer and after the slightly knockabout first couple of minutes it wallows in more of the opiated and languid psychedelic pop cocooning 'A Thousand Samurais'. Once again, the effect is fuzzy and intimate and very likeable indeed.
Recorded primarily the homespun way in bedrooms and mixed on a laptop, these new songs are nonetheless fully-realised and largely quite fantastic. Bear Driver's 'Paws & Claws' are capable of caressing or drawing blood as required, so make sure you acknowledge their presence in the forest and show them the respect they deserve.
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