“What a Drag”
from the EP What a Drag
2010
iTunes
When singles clubs get it right they are a delight, introducing new and unusual bands to a listening public starved of new ideas and sounds. Of course, when they get it wrong they can disappear so far up their own fundaments that they sell six copies to a rabid fan base and lose all touch with reality. Bear Hands are signed to Beggars Banquet subsidiary Too Pure, so at least there’s a modicum of commercial sense in the signing decisions.
Debuting with two slices of New York folk/rock shuffle, Bear Hands display all the individuality and style of bands formed in isolation. A weird fetish with tambourines and cymbals dominates the splashing sound of “What a Drag” in the way a sort-of ethnic folk Talking Heads meeting an unusually relaxed Velvet Underground might sound. The voice is defiantly American, the backing defiantly invigorating.
“Can’t Stick ‘Em” swirls into view with backwards guitars and then breaks into Bear Hands’ already patented shuffling gait with more New Yorican New Wave credentials and a smattering of that jerky rhythm that seems to define current urban US bands. Oh, and there’s that tambourine again…
The band — much like the cover art for “What a Drag” — appears endearingly home-made. It’s always difficult to judge from one or two songs, but on this evidence Bear Hands have an interesting future ahead of them.