Benjamin Bear

www.BenjaminBear.org

BLOG (bio below)

::News 2/21/09::
We have an albums worth of material ready to go. Currently we are looking for a studio and then it is game on!

::Another great review::

AUGUSTA, GA - Though it may seem so at first listen, Benjamin Bear's "Lungs" is not an easy record to penetrate, either categorically or critically. The simple-as-you-want-it setup of Mychal Cohen (piano/vocals) and David Stern (percussion) belies a lurking complexity, both musically and lyrically, whose idiosyncrasies can only be persuaded to reveal themselves over the course of multiple, very attentive sessions, preferably while you crouch in the corner of your living room, a neglected beer slowly warming at your hip.

Trust me, it makes sense. The overarching tone of the album espouses an anguished attempt to crawl out from the forgotten shadows; whether these songs are strictly autobiographical is anyone's guess, but Cohen does a superb job in any case of making you believe that he's been wronged by a lover, a friend, or the whole damn world. In that regard, "Lungs'" quiet highlight "God Damn Thing" is notably affecting, simmering and seething while Cohen croons, imagining driving "to the edges of the earth/where reason and knowledge/mean a goddamn thing." The rising musical crescendo and near-tortured wail that caps off the track then turns its fragile solemnity into a 45 seconds so harrowing that it's almost too uncomfortable for a third party to bear.

To reiterate, this is far from your standard singer/songwriter duo. Stern's drum work switches from understated to cacophonous at the drop of a hat, and Cohen's piano takes on an almost gypsy-like cadence during the verses of "Frictionless." Also exhibited is a surprisingly nuanced attention to wordplay; in opener "Station Rest Release," Cohen howls the seemingly simple statement "All I wanted was love from you." It's an indication that this is the only thing he wants in the world, period, and, were it phrased "All I wanted from you was love," the sentiment would be a very different one indeed. As it is, the line is worth lengthy philosophical discussion, as it brings even more to light the narrator's completely isolated emotional state.

"Lungs" doesn't initially grab you by the jugular, but it neither needs nor intends to, content instead to administer the weight of its shattered romanticism gradually, evenly, and poetically. Vitriolic and truly heartbreaking.

Benjamin Bear, "Lungs"... Metro Spirit - Augusta, GA.... BY JOSH RUFFIN

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Benjamin Bear is an excellent, two-piece indie rock band from here in Seattle with Mychal Cohen on vocals and keys and David Stern on drums. They came across my radar through bribery and alcohol - and I am sure glad they did.

I've loved their 2008 album Lungs quite a bit, especially piano-driven song "Russ". It's a catchy, Ben Folds-ian pop song with dark lyrics but an upbeat melody.
-Threeimaginarygirls.com

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The last thing that I enjoyed with the word bear in it was The Bernstein Bears. God I miss good old fashioned tales about going to the candy store or going to the dentist. Anyways, this time around we are giving the eccentric duo Benjamin Bear’s record a spin or two to see if these “Lungs” can withstand the depths of criticism I’m prepared to pull this album down to. It’s fairly rare that a duo is able to make music complex enough to become interesting (unless they cheat and have a couple “touring” musicians and aren’t really a duo. Luckily for us and more surprising still, Benjamin Bear sports only two true members and guess what, they only play drums and keyboards.

You might be reading this and thinking to yourself “….what the hell, I don’t want to listen to some lame keys with bland percussion and no guitars!” And you would be half right. There isn’t a string section on this record, but it works well for “Lungs.” Mychal’s emotional vocals are both solemn and sweet while also having a raw texture in places that may seem be a bit rough. His piano is charged and layered in such a way that you don’t miss your precious guitars. The same thing is true for the enigmatic drums served to us by David.

But not only do we have energetic and odd indie here, we also have slow building tender almost classical sections that take this record to another level. An example is the jumpy but also unhurried progression based song “Frictionless” which is simply beautiful. I came in to Benjamin Bear’s latest album expecting a unmemorable affair with little distinction between it and other groups, but “Lungs” has really surprised me. It teaches that the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts and that even though piano and drums on paper may not sound like a complex and energy filled affair, but it really is. Despite some rough areas in the vocal department at times