There’s a vocal riot going on and there’s frantic activity on guitars, keyboards and brass. If you puke you might miss the rollacoaster, novelty sandwich toaster of an album opener ‘Jupiter Force [recruitment video]’. Big band Bearsuit sure know how to entertain and this is their third joyful long player ‘OH:IO’. Five out of the six members of this band take a hand in vocal duties, its just drummer Matt Hutchings left to his own devices. All the other zombies/bears/bandstanders in Bearsuit are multi-instrumentalists whipping up an over the top celebration of musical misrule. And the feeling runs deep - three of it’s members, Lisa Horton, Cerian Hutchings and Jan Robertsonalso have a keytar only project entitled Keytarded. Also in the past they have aptly toured with their Norwich (UK) neighbours Kaito and the much loved Deerhoof.
Bearsuit’s songs cover a smorgasbord of subject matter. This includes issues that range from the search for tangible proof of a soul on steamrolling latest single ‘More Soul than a Wigan Casino’; lizard loving on the shouty/harmonious Jurassic destroyer of a song ‘Dinosaur Heart’; evil gangs of tiny kids on the Melt Banana-like ‘Hark!The Feral Children’; colonialisation of the solar system on ‘Mission IO Must Not Fail’, again showing there’s a male vocal at work that summons the spirit of Graham Coxon. And love, yes even Bearsuit are prone to a bit of romance on ‘The Love Will Never Find You’. If that all sounds a bit much for you then there is always time for a slow song with sweet trumpet sounds called ‘Look A Bleached Coral Faced Crow With Jewels For Eyes’.
But really Bearsuit are at their best when the ride is fast and scary like a killer ghost train ride, like on ‘Shh Get It Out’. So this lot, they've got it all, creative instinct, male and female vocals and a plethora of instruments and themes. All they need now are your ears.
