Bearsuit, Oh: Io

Photo Credit: Bearsuit

by Kathryn Durfee
03/28/2008

U.K. indie pop/dance band Bearsuit's new album Oh: Io is a fast-paced burst of energy that's over before it becomes exhausting.

Bearsuit, together since 2001, is made up of Iain Ross, Lisa Horton, Richard Squires, Jan Robertson, Matt Hutchings, and Cerian Hutchings. Together, these six artists generate a lot of noise that works (better at some times than at others). The easiest comparison to make is of course to Scottish indie band Belle And Sebastian, but Bearsuit has far more going on underneath the hood. With quirky electronic beats and screaming vocals, Bearsuit is more like Australian band Architecture in Helsinki.

"More Soul Than Wigan Casino" is a fun and upbeat dance number that gets listeners to their feet. The following track "Steven Fucking Spielberg" focuses more on vocals and storytelling. Oh: Io regains its energy with "Dinosaur Heart," a song I found to be rather cacophonous. "Keep It Together, Somehow" was a sweeter song featuring light and airy female vocals that made the track much easier on the ears than its predecessor. The album slows down with the short but slow-paced song "Look a Bleached Coral Faced Crow With Jewels For Eyes" and "Foxy Boxer," and returns to the earlier fast beats for a strong finish with "Hark! The Feral Children," filled with shouting and chanting. The album closes with a short goodbye called "Stay Alive."

Except for "Mission Io Must Not Fail," all of Oh: Io's tracks come in at under three minutes each. Thus, each song is over before the shouting and electronic beats become tiring.