Minus the Bear "Omni"

This is the first of two bands I will blog upon who have been on my radar over the years but wasn't ever motivated enough to delve further until now (the other is the New Pornographers, and they will be a few posts from now). All of you know what I mean; you've been told by friends a band is good, you read about them, they tour through your town regularly, but you just can't get off your hump to investigate. Minus the Bear is that band for me. Don't ask why I picked their fourth album as my full-on initiation, I don't know. What I've jumped into is a warm, breezy pop album, not simple by any definition, filled with strong, up-front vocals, mucho keyboards, and yet there is an abundance of guitars on several tracks, though they strike me as secondary to the keys. The piano based songs remind me of Keane and a California band I am very fond of called The Velvet Teen. When synths are used, they almost sound dated, lending a retro feel to the record. I will happily add this indie release to the vault, but I doubt it will encourage attending a concert. It may, however, be enough to seek out the next album down the road.